Let The Blood Flow
by Kisa
Summary: AU. Shuichi is dead, not that he cares. He is sent to the second level of hell, to be redeemed, meeting lost souls like himself and Angels. At first he is happy content with death. But then…he falls in love. Added: VII Alliance 09.06
1. I Suicide

**Disclaimer:** You know I don't own these characters. Don't sue me! **Notes & Warning:** AU. Its also very, very dark, and involves themes of suicide, murder, martyrdom and rape. Don't read if this either a) offends you or b) makes you want to beat me with a baseball bat. Shounen-ai (its Gravi, c'mon) and any other stuff I've probably forgotten. **Summary:** AU. Shuichi is dead, not that he cares. He is sent to the second level of hell, to be redeemed, meeting lost souls like himself and Angels. At first he is happy; content with death. But then…he falls in love. _YukixShuichi, TohmaxYuki, Hiro+Shuichi._

**Let the Blood Flow**

_Chapter One_ I can always remember thinking; 'What did I do to deserve this?' Why was it always me who was the target of their taunts? Their jabs? Their punches? Their kicks? Why me? Was I so different from them? I can remember kaa-san cradling my head as I sat in a hospital bed, just another visit after just another attack. She compared me to that of an Angel. I'm not sure kaa-san really knew what an Angel was. The victimising continued. I wonder now…I do. Can someone take the fact that they drove someone to take their life? I am sixteen years old. Was sixteen. We don't judge age where I am, there is no need. We don't change. I slit my wrists. I died, if you'd like me to put it bluntly. The image imprinted on my dying eyes is that of my sister. She discovered me. I wonder what happened after? I wonder who cried. But I don't know. My world went white. * 'Next!' a man screeches. He is dressed in black, a black suit. The plaque on his desk simply reads _'Sakano - Administrator'_. The boy moves puzzledly to the seat before the desk, and stands, looking at the Administrator. 'Next! Oh- well. What are you waiting for?' comes more panicked babble, 'sit down.' The boy sits, as is ordered of him. As he does so, a monitor appears on the desk, it is white and the light it emits prevents him from seeing the screen. 'Right. Yes. Name?' Sakano asks. 'Shi-Shindou Shuichi.' The boy stutters his reply. 'Earth age?' Shuichi notices the man has wings. He blinks. Is this a dream? 'Earth age?' The man repeats. 'Sixteen.' He is bewildered. He scratches his head. 'Cause of death?' A pause. 'I'm dead?' He asks. Sakano nods. Shuichi is overcome with a weird sense of happiness. 'Oh. That's good.' Sakano looks on the verge of a breakdown. His eyes aren't focused on Shuichi, but rather the queue behind the boy. Shuichi attempts to turn, but can't look back. He can only look forward. 'You…do know your cause of death, don't you?' Shuichi smiles sheepishly, and shakes his head: no. Sakano now looks as though he is about to die of despair, which, Shuichi muses, is pretty drastic as the man must already be dead. There is a furious typing, but Shuichi cannot see a keyboard. 'Ah, I see why.' The Administrator hands Shuichi a ticket. The young pink-haired boy examines it, but the only words he can make out are his name, his age and gender, along with some family information. A big box of writing is blotted out from his view. 'That's for the Angels eyes only,' Sakano states. He consults the screen. 'There is no bargaining for you. You are dead, but thankfully you seem to have accepted that. 'Find door number two. Drop your ticket in the box by that door, and that door only. You will then be processed and given a key to your home until you are redeemed.' This all sounds very confusing, and Shuichi wants to ask more questions. 'NEXT!' He doesn't get the chance, the next person is at the desk and the boy is shunted away. * _I'm so happy to be dead._ * Shuichi is hunting for door two, but it seems that it is hiding from him. So far, he has only come across gates, which he is currently standing in front of. They are gold, and emit a light Shuichi swears it blinding, although it is not. He puts this down to him being dead. Upon closer inspection, he realises these are the gates to Heaven. He wonders vaguely what door two leads too, if it's not to Heaven, then where does it lead? Probably hell, he concludes. This thought doesn't scare him, but he feels disappointed somehow. He looks around. There are no people queuing for the gates of Heaven, and he is the only one in the vicinity. He finds this weird. Surely there is someone who deserves to pass through the wrought gold gates. 'What are you doing here?' comes a voice. It comes from behind him, and so Shuichi turns. He sees a man. No, an angel, standing before him. The Angel has cream robes and huge feathered wings. He has platinum blonde hair, soft green blue eyes and an innocent smile. Shuichi stares, he could swear this being is sparkling. 'Do you have a ticket?' The Angel asks, politeness layering his voice. 'I-er-ha-hai.' Shuichi straightens his arm, proffering the ticket towards the Angel. He bows his head, shy suddenly. 'Ah. Door two. I was just on my way there. I'll show you how to get there.' Shuichi doesn't like the look in the Angel's eyes; it is something that you wouldn't associate with an Angel. Shuichi reasons with himself, and shrugs the uneasiness off. 'My name is Tohma,' the Angel states, and upon seeing Shuichi's questioning look, he finishes; 'yes, Angel's do have names.' 'Oh.' Shuichi follows Tohma without question. 'Door two is just over there,' Tohma points out, after a few minutes of walking. Shuichi smiles; 'Thank you.' He bows to show his gratitude, but Tohma has already vanished. The pink-haired boy now desperately attempts to remember what Sakano had instructed him to do once he arrived at door two. After minutes stuck in deep thought, he spots the box. Shuichi remembers his instructions, and proceeds to drop the ticket into the box. A plain wooden door swings open, banging loudly as it hits the doorframe. Shuichi hesitates before entering, all he can see beyond the door is a plain grey room, the door he's standing at is the only way in and the only exit. He steps inwards slowly. Nothing happens, and there is no one there. His face scrunches in confusion, but he steps further into the room. About five paces in, the door creaks and slams shut. Shuichi jumps and throws himself at the door, but there is no handle to grasp and the wooden frame won't budge. He won't be able to get out, that much is obvious to him. With a heavy sigh, he turns back to the room. Only it is not longer there. He now finds himself in a reception, facing a small pixie-like woman. She looks at him, her face in a frown. 'Welcome to the second level of Hell. My name is Mika. You are here to be redeemed so your soul may pass on into heaven. 'Please give me your name so you can be processed and given your living space.' She looks up from the small piece of paper she had been reading her speech off of, and finishes her little speech with a false smile. Shuichi stares at her. For being so small, she is scary, almost, and menacing. Her attitude makes Shuichi want to cower away. Mika rolls her eyes, 'Don't worry, I'm not the full time receptionist,' she hisses, 'just give me your name so you can be processed!' Shuichi obliges. 'Shindou Shuichi.' Mika scans her list of names; it takes her a few minutes to find what she is looking for. Once she comes across it, she hovers off her seat on the desktop and flits over to a rack of keys. Each key is numbered, the number in white on a blood red tag. The whole atmosphere of "the second level of Hell" reminds Shuichi of a hotel. He watches Mika, and figures she is roughly the same height as the length of his arm. She turns back to him, a key in clutched in hand. 'Anou…' He begins. 'Are you an Angel?' Mika looks at him sharply; 'I'm a messenger. My job is to flit between Heaven and the Hell's with messages from God to his Angels and vice versa. Not to act as receptionist. But we're short. Here.' She hands him his key and a small pack. 'Your information pack, including map, and key.' Shuichi accepts the items and stands there. 'Shoo,' Mika waves a tiny hand in the direction of the corridor to the left, which Shuichi had not noticed before. Shuichi opens his mouth to say thank you, but Mika is now dealing with someone else. Its odd, but Shuichi had not seen anyone come through into the reception. He turns to look, but there appears to be no way out. He shrugs; deep down he knows he can't leave anyway. He consults his key, and discovers his room number is two-triple-zero-five-three. His mind boggles, it sounds like a long walk. He sets off down the corridor. * _Death is different from what I thought it would be._ * Shuichi comes across an elevator. Beside it is listed the floors with the rooms on them. He notices that there are minus numbers as well as plus numbers, and is overtaken with amazement of how big second hell is. Clutching his information pack under one arm, he presses the call button for the elevator, and quickly scans the list while he waits for it to arrive at the floor. His room should be located on level ten. There is shrill ping sound to notify of the elevators arrival. The doors glide open and Shuichi is greeted by his own reflection, there is no one else in the compartment. The elevator has mirrors opposite the door and wooden panelling on the other two sides. The floor is a deep burgundy colour. He steps inside hesitantly and turns to face the doors, pressing the button for level ten. There is nothing unusual about the elevator and Shuichi is beginning to feel as though he never died. 'Death should be less like life' he decides as the lift stops and the doors open. It doesn't take him long to find his room, much to his surprise. He enters, and discovers that his new home is not only a room but is an apartment. It has a small kitchen, already stocked with food, a lounge, a bathroom and a bedroom. Shuichi is overwhelmed by his space. Everything he'll ever need is right with him. He yawns, feeling very tired all of a sudden. Without a thought, he drops onto his new double bed, curls up and sleeps. * _Have I even died? I feel like kaa-san will wake me up any minute for school. Should I regret my choice?_ * Elsewhere in second Hell, work is taking place. A blonde Angel sits at a desk, glasses perched on his face as he reads the files. Because he works in one of the levels of Hell, he has no wings for practicality (as it had been known for feathers to be pulled from them or even for the wings to be set on fire). But he is no mere "counselling" Angel. He runs second Hell. There is a knock on the office's door, and the Angel that showed Shuichi to door two enters. 'Hello Eiri-san,' he says pleasantly, walking further into the room without permission. He receives no greeting in return. 'Its Yuki,' the other Angel states coldly, not looking up from his paperwork. 'I have no idea why you change your name, so I will continue to call you Eiri, Eiri-san,' Tohma sits himself on the edge of the desk, much to Yuki's annoyance. Yuki's eye twitches when Tohma places a hand over his own, but he chooses to ignore it. Instead, he sets down his files and stares coldly at Tohma. 'What are you doing here?' he asks, moving his hand so it is no longer in the other Angel's grasp. Tohma looks upset about this, his eyes dim as does his smile. 'My rounds.' Yuki knows full well that an Angel of Tohma's class does not need to do "rounds". Tohma is an ArchAngel, and is supposed to work with God, but, Yuki finds that the older Angel tends to spend more time in second Hell, bothering him, that doing his duties. 'Everything's fine,' Yuki monotones, 'you can leave now.' 'Eiri-san--' 'Yuki.' '--why don't you take a break? Come and walk with me in one of the stone gardens.' Tohma slips off his perch on the desk and places his hands lightly on Yuki's shoulders. Yuki tenses. Tohma continues; 'It would do you so much good to relax-' The ArchAngel is whispering in Yuki's ear. Yuki rolls his eyes; fed up of Tohma's act. 'I have work,' he waves his hand towards his dwindling pile of paperwork. Tohma looks dubious, raising a thin eyebrow and practically pouting. 'Why won't you spend time with me Eiri-san?' Yuki would like to reply; _"Because I think you're some perverted guy who is currently rubbing my shoulders in a very UN-relaxing way and all you really want to do is get into my pants."_ Instead, he simply shrugs off Tohma's hands and says 'I'm busy.' Tohma does pout this time. 'When will you no longer be busy?' the ArchAngel asks, hopefully. _"When fourth Hell freezes over,"_ Yuki thinks. He smiles falsely at Tohma; 'How about you leave me to finish up and I'll send Mika with a message for you?' Tohma looks sceptical, Yuki prays his peer will agree. 'Mmm, okay Eiri-san,' Tohma moves to the door, 'I'll be waiting,' he promises. Tohma leaves without further question and a wave goodbye. Yuki breathes a sigh of relief, removes his glasses and rubs his temples. He will hold off sending a message to Tohma for as long as he can, although the ArchAngel will return if no note is ever received, and Yuki won't be able to rid himself of him next time. There is something about Tohma's attitude that makes Yuki uneasy. He had long suspected that Tohma loves him (not that Yuki is bigheaded or anything), but not "love" in the candy and flowers way, but rather in the obsessive and scary stalker way. Yuki leans back in his hard chair and sighs, wondering if he should regret his decision to become an Angel. He could be living on Earth right now, probably on his fifth life after his first death, reincarnated. But, no, he decided to become an Angel, and to no surprise, under Tohma's guidance. Annoyed with himself now, he decides that maybe he will visit the rock gardens, only by himself, with no pesky ArchAngels as annoyances. * It is now early dawn when Shuichi awakens. He supposes that he should really read his information pack. He discovers that he has been assigned a counselling Angel by the name of Ayaka and that he is to meet her at noon the same day. He wonders is a counselling Angels are any different from the Angel, Tohma, who he met the day before. He turns a few pages in his information booklet. 

_"You will not age during your stay in any level of Hell. Time is recorded for purpose of appointments, not age. Day and night are simulations to encourage a 'normal' routine. Despite death, you must continue to function as though you are alive. We encourage you to socialise as it is an important part of-"_

There is more, but Shuichi is too stunned to continue. Instead, he picks up the map that Mika provided and scans over it. Second Hell is HUGE! Shuichi wonders, once again, if this is all really a dream. On the map he spots a place labelled "Garden" and decides to explore. Map in arm, he leaves his apartment. Despite his best efforts, it takes Shuichi more than an hour, by his rough estimation, to find the garden. It's amazing how a right can morph into a left when you're studying a map as intently as Shuichi had done. He enters the garden, only to find that everything is made of stone. Stone benches, stone archways and stone flower beds. Shuichi notes with disappointment that there are no flowers or trees. He walks further into the garden and sighs. 'No flowers…' he murmurs. 'Its because there's no sun.' Shuichi almost falls over in his shock; he had thought he was alone. He spins round and sees a cold pair of golden eyes staring back at him. 'You can't have flowers without sun…' the man continues. 'Plus, this is a level of Hell, so living things wouldn't bode well.' Shuichi looks dumbly at the person sitting before him. 'Oh.' He is stunned; _"He's beautiful…"_ The other man's eyes narrow to a glare as he watches Shuichi. The boy shifts uncomfortably on his feet, and wraps one hand round the other arms elbow in a nervous gesture. 'You're new here, aren't you?' Shuichi nods rapidly. 'You seem it.' 'Oh.' 'Have you lost all ability to talk?' Shuichi can do nothing or say nothing to this, so just stands, trying to be small and disappear. This man has an odd affect on him, something he cannot quite explain. The blonde haired man's face contorts with impatience, and, as if he had lost all interest in furthering any sort of conversation with Shuichi, he returns to reading his book. Shuichi's brain once again seems to engage and his lips move into an awkward 'Hi,nicetomeetyou,I'msorryifIseemedrude.' The other man looks up in surprise, taken off guard by the sudden waterfall of words that tumble out of Shuichi's mouth. The young boy shakes himself. 'Whats your name?' The look of surprise grows deeper, and Shuichi is given the impression that the man rarely talks to anyone. 'Yuki.' The answer comes after moments of uneasy waiting. Shuichi takes the response as a good thing, and gives his name in return. The sincere lack of interest still lies in the man's face, but his posture and attitude have changed slightly.Shuichi warms to this change and attempts to make conversation. 'So…urm…its nice here. Different from what I thought hell would be like.' Yuki looks up to Shuichi coldly, and Shuichi shies away, scared the man will yell at him for breaking some sort of rule. 'Its somewhere to repair your soul. Were you expecting pitchforks? Guys in red suits?' Shuichi shakes his head quickly. 'I was expecting the peace of nothing-ness.' He hangs his head shyly. There is a heavy silence. Shuichi shifts on his feet, staring at the man who has returned to his book. 'Would you like me to leave?' he asks. Yuki looks up sharply, 'It doesn't bother me.' 'Weren't you lonely, sitting here by yourself?' Yuki absently turns a page; not paying attention to the book, but completely focused on Shuichi. 'I like to be alone.' 'Don't you ever want to be with people?' 'No, they all annoy me.' 'Oh.' Shuichi looks around. 'I suppose I should go and meet my counselling Angel then, ne? Hopefully I'll see you around.' 'Hn.' Shuichi starts to wander off, before stopping. He turns and looks back at Yuki, staring at how the man's hair falls in his eyes and the long elegant fingers wrapped around the book. 'Anou, Yuki…' he steps back towards the blonde and leans over so they are both face level. He smiles and babbles; 'If you ever want to be alone, you can come be alone with me. Then you won't be so lonely.' Before Yuki gets a chance to reply, Shuichi dashes off, leaving the Angel stunned. 'Odd kid,' Yuki murmurs to himself. For some reason, all he now sees is Shuichi's bright smile, with the wide violet eyes and scrunched up nose. He can longer concentrate on his book. With a sigh, he gets up from his seat and goes to walk around the garden. **To Be Continued…**


	2. II Nightmare

**Disclaimer:** Flibble schnabble. I don't own them, never will. But I can always hold them hostage and torture them…until the men in white coats come. **Notes & Warning: **This chapter has disturbing flashbacks, so read on if you think you can handle it. Note to Saturn's Angels: I've never heard of Dante's Inferno…o.o heh heh **_Chapter Two_** Shuichi stares up at the counselling angels' office block, and feels so small and intimidated that he wants to run away, but is sealed firmly to the spot he stands on. 'You'd think they'd make this place more welcoming,' he mutters, gulping and opening the door. He steps inside, and is welcome to a homely atmosphere before being mowed down by a green haired boy in a great hurry. He lands on the floor heavily, and finds that even though he is dead, he can still feel pain. And the fact that the boy has landed on top of him. 'Oh! I'm ever so sorry!' Purple eyes meet brown and Shuichi notices that the boy must be about fourteen, maybe even younger. 'Its okay.' The boy helps Shuichi to his feet and smiles; 'You're new here. I don't spend much time in second hell, but I know a new face when I see one. I'm Suguru.' 'You're an angel?' Shuichi asks, unable to hold back the surprise. 'Ah, just an ordinary run of the mill angel. Not a snobby counselling one. Or an ArchAngel. I know I look young, but I'm far older than you,' he says the last bit menacingly, leaning into Shuichi. 'Eh? Oh. Er- sorry. Eto…I'm Shindou Shuichi.' He bows. 'Heh, this place is so big, I don't suppose you could direct me to Ayaka-san's office?' Suguru's eyes widen. 'Hah! You got Ayaka? Lord, I pity you.' The dread grows deeper within Shuichi. 'Third floor, second corridor, fifth door on the left. And I really have to get some files from Kitizawa in the fourth hell, so I'll say good-bye. It was nice to meet you Shindou-san.' Suguru scurries off, leaving Shuichi feeling bewildered and lost. With a sigh, Shuichi hurries on his way, knowing he's probably already late. The corridors vary in size, but all are decorated in green wallpaper, with little pale yellow patterns on it. The carpet matches exactly. He reaches the third floor from stairs, unable to find an elevator. Before him lies a maze, and it's a busy maze. 'Kyaaa,' he feels his eyes cross. He really doesn't want to meet Ayaka anyway, not knowing what lies ahead of him. Reluctantly, he shuffles his way through the maze, staring at the people there. Surely none of them could be Angels…they don't have wings and look completely ordinary. But, thinking about he, Suguru doesn't have wings, yet he's an Angel. The boy shakes himself and without even noticing, finds himself standing in front of an oak door, a silver sign hanging from it stating **"Counsellor: Ayaka". ** After some hesitation, Shuichi finally convinces himself that he should knock. The door opens and a young woman, with waist length brown hair and big blue eyes stares back at him. She looks so ordinary, dressed in an ankle length blue skirt and a cream jacket; Shuichi takes a moment, trying to find something special about her. There's nothing. 'Hmph. Shindou-san, you are exactly thirty minutes and twenty-two seconds late. I don't approve of tardiness.' Shuichi's eyes widen. 'But apart from that, hello,' she smiles blandly at him. 'I suppose I can over look being late every now and then.' She reaches out and grabs his wrist, pulling him into the room. Her touch is cold, and Shuichi shivers. She drops his wrist, as they reach the middle of the room, and watches as Shuichi stares at his surroundings. The boy feels numb with shock, a lump in his throat. 'Why is it like this?' he manages to choke out. Ayaka says nothing, just stares blankly at him. Panic overcomes Shuichi and he grabs her upper arms. 'This is torture, make it different!' He squeezes his eyes shut, but nothing vanishes. The room is his bedroom, his death room. What had felt like the centre of the room when Ayaka dropped his wrist was really by the window, opposite the bedroom door. He can see his sister, shaking his limp form, blood on the worn carpet pooling around Maiko's knees. His head flops back turned away from Maiko, one arm laying on the floor, the other flung across his torso. There's blood everywhere. Up his arms, on his favourite t-shirt, even on his face, which is pale. A faint sound comes from the morbid scene. 'Onii-chan! Onii-chan!' The sound sends shivers down Shuichi's spine, it reminds him so much of when he and Maiko were little, when she was calling to him, afraid of the dark or a spider in her room. A high-pitched, terrified shout for her older brother. 'ONII-CHAN!' The scene stops, suddenly, twisting into a dark hole of nothing, leaving the room blank and both Shuichi and the counselling Angel back in the centre. Shuichi drops to his knees, feeling sick and numb. His hands shake as he cups his face, his stomach flops over and over and tears trickle down his face. 'Make it stop…' Ayaka hovers behind him, offering no comfort. 'Shindou-san, pull yourself together. This is the choice you made.' Shuichi stares in shock up at her. 'W--what?' 'You made the choice to take your own life. I have a question; did you wonder how it would affect your little sister?' Shuichi says nothing. 'What about your mother? What about your father? Your family?' He still remains silent. Ayaka kneels beside him. 'Think about it, and we'll discuss it next time.' He looks at her; 'The sessions over?' She nods. Shuichi leaves the room, and as soon as the door is shut behind him, he collapses on the floor, drained, confused and tearful. What had he done? Shakily, he gets to his feet and manages to find his way out of the building. * The artificial light is still bright outside, and Shuichi blinks to adjust, wiping away his tears. He looks around, wondering what to do next. He feels like he has spent hours, watching the horrifying scene he had just seen. His sister's screams still ring in his ears. How much time had really passed? He staggers down the steps and sees Suguru sitting on the wall before him. 'Tough death?' the young-looking angel asks. Shuichi looks at him curiously, puzzled by the angel's question. '…First session always shows the "what happened after death" stuff. It sucks…and the nightmares after it. Yeesh. I never want to go through that again.' Shuichi is intrigued and sits beside Suguru. 'What do you mean?' 'Your first counselling session. Hurts right? You look shook up, thus I figured pretty tough death.' Shuichi nods slowly. 'Look, everyone goes through the same thing, no matter what level of hell you go to. I've been through it, hey, even the ancient battle-axe Ayaka has been through it. ArchAngels are possibly the only ones who haven't depending how they got there. They're like royalty, princes and princesses' and the guy in charge is king.' 'Uh-huh.' 'From the way you look, I can tell your gonna have pretty bad nightmares. Mine were awful…' 'How did you die?' Shuichi asks before he realises what he's saying. Suguru looks at him questioningly. 'Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I'm just curious that's all, I'm sorry…I won't ask again, don't answer.' 'I…it happened oh, about four-hundred years ago…maybe even further back, but who cares?' Shuichi's eyes widen. 'Long time right? I chose to be an Angel when it was all over, because after what happened to me, I figured life wouldn't be worth it. I didn't live very long. I was killed at fourteen.' 'You were murdered?' Shuichi asks horrified. Suguru lets out a bitter laugh. 'No, unfortunately. That would have been far more blissful than what I was put through. And I have no idea why I'm telling you this, so don't interrupt or I'll stop. 'At fourteen, I was selected by the tribe I lived in to be sacrificed for the "good" of my people. My parents agreed to it. Every fool in that village believed that by giving me to the gods they worshipped would stop the bad luck running through the village. The crops had failed that year and many people had fallen sick and died of some sort of plague. 'I don't really understand it now, and I didn't then either. They prepared the ritual and I was taken away from my family and left in a dark hole so that nothing would "dirty" me and kill me before they were ready to sacrifice me.' Shuichi stares at Suguru's face with a morbid curiosity, the angel looks so sad and betrayed. 'I was in there for two months. Heh, now if you think this is hell, you're mistaken. That was hell. It drove me to the brink of insanity. The only thing that kept me sane was the daily visits from a village girl who brought me food and water. I think I fell in love with the quick glimpses of her face that I got every day before I was holed up again. It was torture. 'After the two months passed, the "priest" pulled me out of my dank, dark hole. He bound my wrists so tightly with rope, it cut into my skin. I had the scars for a long time, even in Hell. I was washed in order to be cleansed and dressed in a soft white robe. It was nice to see the light again, to feel clean, even if it was just for the half an hour or so I had left to live. I cried, yes, of course I did. But I was scorned and beaten when I did, so I soon shut up. 'They dragged me to a crude alter the villagers had built. They were all there, like vultures. Even my family…they were…they wanted me dead to make the bad go away…anything to help. The last thing I remember seeing is…' Suguru chokes on his words. 'They held a stone dagger above my head as I kneeled before them, I couldn't see what they were doing. The priest stood behind me and I faced the crowd of… "eager" onlookers. Before I closed my eyes to wait for my death I saw the girl one last time. I remember thinking Maybe I can die happy. Heh, not a chance. The dagger came down hard, and penetrated my skull. There was an intense pain for about three seconds and then I was sitting in front of an Administrator waiting to find out my next destiny.' A heavy silence hangs between the boy and the angel. Finally, Shuichi breathes; 'Wow…' Suguru seems to snap out of the trance he has fallen into. 'Sorry. I've never told anyone that…' he looks at Shuichi, 'thank you for listening I guess.' 'Its no problem,' Shuichi moves to hug Suguru, unsure why but feels compelled to do so. Suguru shifts away quickly. 'I don't hug. I get freaked out by contact…I still have issues. It's why I'm such a low ranking angel. I can't counsel if I can't deal with my own death still. Hey, maybe this'll help.' 'I hope it does,' Shuichi beams. The artificial sunlight has long since gone, but Shuichi has not noticed, having been entranced by Suguru's heartbreaking story. 'Hey!' Shuichi says suddenly, 'seeing as you know so much about this place, wanna be friends and help me about when you can?' Suguru stares. 'Its not usually orthodox…' Shuichi stares back with pleading eyes. 'Pleassssssssssse?' Suguru sighs and slumps over, 'Okay, sure.' 'Yay!' 'You should go and rest. Try not to sleep, because you'll feel like crap in the morning.' 'Eh?' 'Go. I'm trying to be your friend and be helpful…' 'K…oyasumi nasai!' Shuichi dashes off back to the apartments, tripping over his feet and his waves to his newfound friend. * 'Interesting boy,' came a voice, causing Suguru to jump. 'I believe he's the only person you've ever actually spoken to for more than two seconds.' The young Angel turned and saw Ayaka standing at the top of the steps. 'He's not a counselling angel you know.' Suguru shrugs. 'Does it matter?' 'The people we're meant to be helping aren't meant to be our friends.' 'I wasn't the one who came up with the idea. Do what you want about it.' Ayaka raises an eyebrow. 'No. I think…he's kinda different, you know? Shindou-san could help you a lot, and in return I think he needs friendship more than he needs counselling. That's what he lacked in life. Got the counselling, but no real friendship.' 'So he's going to be some kind of experiment?' snaps Suguru, glaring witheringly at Ayaka. 'Hmmm, no. I just want to try a new method…he'll have to have normal counselling sessions or there'll be trouble, but he can settle in as he pleases. I'll let him have a bit more freedom than the others. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and report to Yuki-sama.' * Shuichi stares up at the ceiling in his room. He realises that the previous night he had just fallen asleep but now with Suguru's warning, he wasn't quite sure if he ever wanted to sleep again. A chill ran over him causing his slight body to shudder, yet his eyes remain fixed on the ceiling. They ached with tiredness, yet Shuichi won't give in. Time shifts on, as Shuichi's eye's droop ever closer to being shut tight. He yawns and attempts to sit, only to find that his body is leaden with fatigue. Finally giving in, Shuichi falls into a deep sleep filled with taunting dreams. _Shuichi is tangled in the pure white sheets; sweat dampening his forehead, deep in a nightmare. He can't quite figure it out…flashes of his past. A kick to his head, blood dripping in his eyes, his mother cleaning the wounds and not saying anything. Pain welled in his chest, something raging to get out. Anger, hurt, loneliness. A hunger for death…an end. In his sleep, Shuichi moans and whimpers, as memories of the pain flood back. Why? Why is it all there? Can he not find peace? His eyes open…and he turns his head in his bed to the door and sees a younger version of himself, hair brown and eyes wide…innocent, standing in the doorway. The face is pale and spattered with blood. The child-Shuichi raises its arms…and Shuichi sees the long jagged cuts that match the ones the brought about his end…_ Shuichi wakes up with a short scream. His breath is harsh and jagged. He pulls his hands up to wipe the sweat away from his face, and lets out a short sharp gasp noticing the wounds on his arms. Each and every scar has split open and fresh blood covers his arms, his chest and his bed sheets. He whimpers and fights back tears. Panic rushes through his head. _"Can you die twice?"_ he wonders. Unable to stay still, Shuichi hops out of bed and dresses, ignoring the open wounds on his arms. He feels the need to get out of the room as quickly as possible, but he lingers at the door a flash of himself as a child fresh in his memory. It creeps him out for some reason and he moves even faster to get out of the apartment. * 'Why not? Don't you think it's a good idea?' 'They cannot socialise with angels.' 'Yuki, I'm asking you, just this once.' 'The people here are here to heal and attempt to become…normal, for lack of a better word. The answer remains no.' 'I think the boy would become "normal" if we carried through my idea!' 'Ayaka,' Yuki finally looks up from his paper work, 'I don't care what you're saying; I'm not the one who decides after all. You know I'd have to consult a higher ranking angel, and I'm not about to,' he says coolly, wanting to end the conversation. He wants to be out of the office and away before Tohma's promised visit. 'What's so bad about that? It would help!' 'Don't push this, Ayaka,' he says in warning tones. 'The boy already got someone to tell their story when they wouldn't open up to me!' 'Don't go over the details again.' 'Please, consider it.' 'You're dismissed Ayaka, and have been for the past five minutes.' 'I really don't understand you, Yuki.' Without another word, the counselling Angel leaves. Yuki sets down the paper work and his glasses. He admits silently to himself that Ayaka has a point, but he doesn't want to go further. _"If it's meant to be, it will be,"_ he reminds himself. He picks up his book and, after a moments thought, sets it down again. He needs time to reflect and decides against reading. Yuki notes the "time" and smiles to himself. Most of the souls are already resting, so he will find himself in solitude when he gets to the stone garden. Without hesitation, he leaves, hoping not to bump into Tohma. * Shuichi examines his wrists, exiting the apartments, noticing that the bleeding has not ceased yet, but instead keeps coming afresh. His heart pounds, tears in his eyes. What's happening? With a slight startled scream, Shuichi realises other wounds have begun to open, the wound on his head where a boot had met it and a long slit on his leg made by a nail file, courtesy of a girl in school. Shuichi sobs and starts running, confusion awash in his brain. He collapses on a stone bench, a hand flung carelessly across his head, knees tucked up into his chest. His breath comes in heaving silent sobs. Eyes crunched shut, images of the bullying he had put up with his whole life flooded his brain, causing his slight body to shake in terror of the waking nightmare. Suddenly, his heart misses a beat and he raises his head, a disturbing feeling on his back. Peering down at him with a stern look is a blonde man. Through the tears Shuichi barely recognises him, but he quickly wipes away the wells of tears in his eyes, leaving blood smudges on his cheeks. 'Yuki-san?' he asks, uncurling himself and sitting up. His body still shakes, but he sees little concern in the man's eyes. 'You've gotten yourself in a state, haven't you?' the blonde asks. 'Ah…' Shuichi feels embarrassed. And shy. The older man certainly seemed to have an odd effect on the sixteen year old. He attempts to pull the attention away from himself. 'What are you doing here?' 'You're in my reading spot,' Yuki replies flippantly. 'Hold out your wrists.' Shuichi's eyes widened, but he follows the request. 'Your first dream here?' Shuichi nods. Yuki doesn't respond his brow furrowed in concentration as he wraps the wounds with a pristine white cloth that he had had in his pocket. After doing so, he examines the wound on Shuichi's head. 'There's nothing I can do for that. It's not that deep, and the blood shouldn't flow for long. You should just leave it.' He indicates to the blood on Shuichi's thigh. 'Let me see that.' Shuichi blushes and raises his leg so it rests in Yuki's lap. Yuki's eyebrows rise as he inspects the wound. 'It is deep. How did you do this?' 'I didn't! I only ever cut my wrists!' 'I wasn't accusing you.' Shuichi's mouth hangs open. 'I-err-' 'I'm not going to say I understand, because I don't. I'll never understand those who committed suicide.' 'Huh?' 'Nothing. There, that's the best I can do. Do you have any other injuries?' He pushes Shuichi leg off his lap and looks at the boy coldly. 'Erm…not that I know of.' They sit in silence. Shuichi feels so warm in the mans presence, even if Yuki acts so cold. He looks to the man who is looking around warily. 'You don't have a book with you,' Shuichi notes. 'I didn't want to read.' 'Oh.' Yuki looks at Shuichi. 'You want to talk to me, don't you?' He asks, almost sounding surprised. 'Ah!' Shuichi narrows his eyes, 'what's wrong with that?' he says defiantly. 'Just unusual. You don't know who I am…' 'Eh?' 'Never mind.' Shuichi ponders, trying to avoid asking Yuki the only question he desperately wants to. 'Urm…so…ah…ooo.' He gives up. 'Ne, Yuki. Sorry for asking this, but…how did you die then? If it wasn't suicide?' Yuki looks at him sharply. 'People don't usually ask that here.' 'I'm…er…curious?' 'I forget how I died. It doesn't matter anyway. A long time ago it was.' Shuichi sighs. 'Why did you kill yourself Shuichi?' Shuichi topples of the bench, taken unawares by the question. Yuki's eyes widen in surprise. He gets up and helps Shuichi to his feet, holding him by the wrist. Shuichi blushes at the proximity of their bodies. 'You seem awfully eager to know how everyone else here died, don't you?' Yuki says, his look boring into Shuichi's own eyes. 'So I'm interested as to why you're here. And at such a young age.' Shuichi's arms drop to his sides, but he and Yuki's chests still remain close together, almost brushing against each other. He stares up into amber eyes. 'I---didn't want to put up with a life full of torture anymore.' Yuki says nothing and Shuichi notices how close they have gotten. He desperately doesn't want to break the contact. 'Let me ask one more thing…was it worth it?' he asks, passion in his voice. 'Er—' Yuki's head is moving closer to his. His lips tingle as he feels Yuki's cold breath upon them. _"Whats going on here?!"_ Shuichi's brain puzzles. _"How did this happen?! He's another guy!"_ Soft lips meet Shuichi's own and Shuichi feels a mixture of utter confusion and floating. From coldness to a kiss…it was all so confusing. Suddenly, far to suddenly for the dizzy pink haired boy, the kiss is over and Yuki has pushed him away. 'Eir---Yuki.' Says a superior sounding voice. Shuichi looks up and spots Tohma. _"The Angel,"_ Shuichi's brain prompts. He sees Yuki tense and the man moves to block Shuichi from view. 'Tohma,' he responds to the Angel, coolness once again returning. Aside to Shuichi he mutters; 'Return to your apartment.' Shuichi opens his mouth to question why, but decides against it, hastily moving backwards. His pace speeds up. Once at a secure distance he looks back and sees Yuki and Tohma engaging in what seems like a heated discussion. This was all so confusing. **To Be Continued…**


	3. III Past

**Disclaimer:** Story idea is MINE =D Characters…aren't. -.- I'm just borrowing them. **Notes & Warning:** I can't describe this fic. It's further than my description of 'weird'. Shounen-ai, a hint of malexmale sex (later!), dark, depressive, rape…and the list goes on. _**Chapter Three**_ Shuichi sits on his bed, staring at his hands and the trailing pieces of white cloth he holds in them. A smile twitches at his lips and a warm bubbly feeling rushes over him. Shocked, he shakes it off. With a sigh he flops backward, his fingers tracing over his lips. His forehead creases in a frown. It certainly was confusing. Yuki had been so cold one minute…and then…the spine tingly, knee-jellify-er of a kiss. Shuichi felt himself go cold and shuddered at the memory of it. It wasn't unpleasant, but recalling the moment itself had an odd effect on the boy. He closes his eyes and falls into thought, always pressing himself to stay awake. What was going on with Yuki and that Angel, Tohma? That was odd, wasn't it? Maybe Yuki was in trouble…Shuichi puzzles. A usually ignored part of his brain nags that his none of his business and to meddle in Yuki's affairs after one kiss was too much. Shuichi sighs again. 'Mou, death is so complicated!' * Nakano Hiroshi immediately wished he had tried death as a way of escape earlier. Hell, despite the foreboding name, was proving to be better than what had been his living hell. Even if he had only been there for a day or so. The little pixie woman at the front desk had explained on his arrival that as they were currently short of staff he would have to wait to be assigned his counselling angel, whatever the hell that meant. Two days later, Hiro was now holding details of his first appointment and the "Angel" that would be counselling him; Vay Ksu. This is only his second time venturing out of his apartment since he had arrived in second hell. He approaches the building his detail sheet has listed and spots two young boys, one with startling pink hair, the other with green, sitting outside on the steps. 'Where might you be going today?' the green haired boy asks. Hiro stops and looks at him curiously. 'Just wondering, because you're obviously a newbie.' 'Ah. Oh, thank you.' Hiro grins uneasily at the two of them. The pink haired boy looks up at him. 'Is it your first counselling session?' Hiro nods. 'Who'd you get?' the other boy asks. 'Erm…Vay Ksu.' 'You poor guy,' the green haired boy mutters. 'Hey, you said that to me about Ayaka,' the boy, the older looking of the two, exclaims nudging his friend in the ribs. 'Oooo, no. Ayaka's nice, she's not the heart eating type.' 'What?' 'I mean, Vay's evil.' Hiro stares at the two of them. 'Erm…guys. You're not really helping you know?' 'Hey, just warning you! I'm Suguru.' 'Shindou Shuichi,' the pink haired boy proclaims. His eyes are warm and bright, despite the fact he has several fresh bruises on his face and his wrists are bandaged. 'Er---Nakano Hiroshi. Call me Hiro, though. Pleased to meet you.' Shuichi claps his hands together and smiles. 'So…can I ask what's so bad about this Vay? I…feel like I'm being thrown to the lions now.' 'Well,' Suguru explains, 'When Vay was an ordinary Angel, like me-' 'You're an Angel?' Shuichi nods for Suguru. 'Yup, he is. About four hundred years older than us too! –I'm not an Angel by the way.' 'Anyway,' Suguru glares. 'When she was a low ranking angel, she was awful. Moody, bitchy, always throwing in snide comments. I don't blame the guy who shot her actually. She's a complete whore – in the none selling her body way.' 'Well, she got over whatever held her back from being a counsellor and went off to train. Every person who sees her end up either wanting to kill her- or themselves- again. You'll see.' Hiro stares down and gulps. 'You're just kidding with the new guy aren't you? Please…say you are. She can't be so bad.' 'You'll see,' Suguru restates. 'But!' Shuichi adds, 'I'll wait here till you come out so if you need to cry, scream or whatever, you can be with a friend.' Hiro blinks at this comment. Shuichi had taken him on as a friend already? 'By the way, Vay's office is tenth floor, fifth corridor, third door to the left. Better get going. I know she hates people wasting her time.' 'Don't worry Hiro!' Shuichi yells at Hiro's fretful retreating form. * 'Is she really that bad Suguru?' Shuichi asks. 'Yes. And worse. But you shouldn't be worrying about other people's sessions Shuichi. Yours seems to have already started tearing you apart.' 'I'll be fine…' Shuichi mumbles, fiddling with the bandage about his wrist. He had to replace the one Yuki had put on; the blood hadn't stop flowing so it had to be replaced. He had soaked the other bandages in water to remove the blood in a hope he could salvage the semi-gift from Yuki. He sighs. 'You sure? You're face is covered in bruises that weren't there yesterday.' Shuichi nods and smiles, even though his face aches. 'Shouldn't you be getting back to work? I'm gonna wait here…Hiro may need someone to talk to.' 'You know that's what the angels are for, right?' 'Sometimes, you find help where it's not right to find help.' 'Huh?' 'Nothing. It doesn't make sense.' 'I'll see you later Shuichi,' Suguru says, waving as he retreats. Shuichi's smile fades once the other boy is out of sight. He rests his head in his hands and sighs. His nightmares didn't bother him; it was that kiss from Yuki that did. Well, okay, his nightmares bothered him, but they were at the back of his mind. Which he supposes they shouldn't be really. He flops back onto the steps and stares up into the void that is the "sky" of second hell. He yawns widely and realises how tired he is, but still resists the urge to sleep. He doesn't know if he'll ever sleep again. Turning onto his side, he sighs. 'That's stupid. Of course I'll have to sleep. And next time I know Yuki won't be there to kiss it all better.' He blushes slightly and wishes once more to have an explanation to that kiss and the events that followed after. He shudders suddenly as his hand digs too deeply into one of the new bruises on his face. His face crumples as it brings back memories of his nightmares. 'Did I really make the right choice?' he ponders again. Was it worth it? He can't decide. Time passes. Quickly, the time shifts the light to dark and before Shuichi realises, Hiro collapses next to him, shaking. Shuichi snaps out of his trance and looks to Hiro. 'Are you going to be okay?' Hiro says nothing. His shaking eventually resides, falling into stillness with exception to an occasional tremble. 'Hiro?' 'Ah…I think so.' 'You sure?' Hiro nods. Shuichi sidles closer to him and attempts to comfort him. 'Erm…' 'It was horrible…' Hiro mutters. 'I don't understand. I can't get it out of my head.' Shuichi opens his mouth to suggest something but quickly changes his mind. 'It'll be okay Hiro.' _"I wish that were true."_ * The fake day passes into fake night and Shuichi and Hiro say their goodnights respectively, before returning to their apartments. Shuichi watches Hiro go mournfully, knowing exactly what the longhaired boy is about to go through once he falls asleep. Guilt churns in his stomach because of his failure to warn Hiro. He enters his apartment and looks around at the sparse furnishings. There had been a point once where he thought death would be a release, but it was turning out to be just as bad as life. There really was no rest for the wicked. Or the kind either. Ignoring the fact that he hasn't eaten all day he heads straight to his bedroom. His body is so weary that he figures he can't stay awake anymore, even if it means being sunken into tortured dreams. Not bothering to change, Shuichi flops down on his bed, curls into a protective ball and sleeps. * Shuichi's dreams are tepid…he sleeps fitfully, but doesn't wake up and none of his re-appeared wounds split open. He moans suddenly in his sleep, a blush darting across his pale cheeks. He rolls over onto his stomach, mumbles a few staggered words and falls back into deep slumber. Hours roll by as if they were nothing, which, in second hell, they are. The artificial sunlight begins to peep in through the blinds hung squarely on the wall above the bed. Dust hovers in the slits of light. Shuichi shifts and stretches out on his sheets. He savours the last few moments of sleep before blearily opening his wide violet eyes. A smile lingers on his lips from his dream…not a nightmare, but a dream. His body tingles slightly from the vague, hazy memory. He sits up and shifts his sheets away from his lap, stretching out his legs and wiggles his toes. He looks down. Oh. A blush raises in his cheeks and he dashes to the bathroom. He leans over the basin and splashes cold water on his face. He grins crookedly at his reflection in the small mirror. 'Well…it was a …steamy…dream.' Doubt clouds his face quickly, leaving an unusual thoughtful look on his face. 'Is it right to feel this way about another guy?' he ponders. Did that even matter? He scrutinizes his reflection in the mirror. He was in Hell after all. Dead. How could attraction be possible in a place like this? _"It's just so much like living though!"_ 'Yuki may not even like me!' He tells his self, hoping that it's not true. His thoughts are disturbed by a heavy knock at his apartment door. He dries his face and goes to answer the door, wondering whom it could be. He remembers vaguely that it couldn't be Suguru as the Angel had stated that it was not correct for an Angel to enter the apartments of the Dead. _We had our time in Hell…we're not to meddle too much in what the Dead do now…just shift them on their way when they are ready._ Shuichi opens the door and comes face to face with a panicked Hiroshi. 'What's going on Shuichi?' Hiro sobs, clutching at his stomach. Shuichi looks at Hiro and notices the vast bloodstain spreading through Hiro's white t-shirt. 'Oh God.' Shuichi takes the other boy in his arms, bringing Hiro into his apartment. 'Help me;' Hiro asks through heavy breaths. 'Calm down, Hiro…it was just a nightmare. Just…' Shuichi has no idea what to say, so he holds Hiro close instead. 'It'll be okay…' he murmurs, moving Hiro over towards the couch. Hiro looks up at Shuichi, 'You know what's happening?' he asks desperately. Shuichi nods regretfully. 'Sorry Hiro.' Hiro sighs. 'Will it stop?' He motions to the large wound on his lower stomach. 'Eventually, I think,' Shuichi offers his bandaged wrists as proof. 'Old injuries. How I died actually…they opened again after a nightmare.' 'You didn't tell me…' 'I…Sorry Hiro.' 'My mother did this,' Hiro indicates, 'fed up of having two failures for sons.' Shuichi looks at Hiro, shocked. 'She pushed us to far. My brother ran away, and I refused to play the good son,' Hiro lifts his hair off his face, a dark look in his eyes. 'I know she didn't mean to kill me, but being here, even with this, is better than being constantly pressured.' Silence falls between the two boys and Shuichi shifts uncomfortably. He gets to his feet suddenly. 'I'm going to go find some bandages.' He makes to move away when Hiro grabs his wrist. Shuichi looks down at the seated boy, who doesn't return the gaze. Hiro nods, muttering something to himself and releases Shuichi. Something in that motion causes Shuichi to panic slightly and he quickly goes into the bathroom to find the First Aid kit he had stumbled upon. He takes a moment to awe at the fact that Second Hell provides a first aid kit for already _dead_ people…but they obviously know what happens. He shakes his head slowly before returning to Hiro. * Yuki has long since gotten used to working under someone's watchful eye. When he had decided to become an Angel, he had been taken under Tohma's wing. The ArchAngel had always been so interested in Yuki…in had unnerved the then young man. Now Yuki is one of the most respected Angel's throughout Heaven and the Hell's, rising into the position of Second Hell's commanding Angel after less than one hundred years earth time of being an Angel. He rarely remembered back to those days…his counselling Angel had been one called Ryuichi, someone who never followed conventions, even at this point in time. Ryuichi now worked with the souls of children, helping them deal with their early loss of life, a long with another Angel, Tatsuha. Yuki rarely saw either of them, as children rarely ended up in Second Hell, not since an ArchAngel had refined the sorting system. Yuki looks up at Tohma, who is smiling back blandly at him. Yuki shakes his head, clearing his thoughts of the past. He was not going to ask. He looks back to his work…that isn't really work. He doesn't counsel anymore. Yuki admits to himself that he misses it. His task force of counselling Angel's rarely need his aid. So ninety nine percent of the time his work is just himself reading through and adjusting the short stories he writes in boredom. He looks back to Tohma and wonders vaguely if the superior Angel knows this. He hopes not, else his excuses to avoid Tohma's company would be gone. His jaw tightens. He doesn't look back down at his work this time. 'Tohma?' The ArchAngel opens his eyes in slight surprise at his name. 'Yes, Eiri-san?' Yuki grits his teeth. He really hates the name Eiri. The name is firmly attached to the past…and his death. 'Have you seen Ryuichi lately?' he asks offhand…sorting a stack of his stories by genre. Tohma smiles softly…Yuki despises the smile. It makes his heart pound as it radiates Tohma's true beauty. There's no denying it. The ArchAngel is gorgeous. 'Yes…I have Eiri-san. In fact, he was leading around some adorable twin girls, roughly eight years old. He does have a way with children.' 'That's because he's a child himself,' Yuki bites out. Tohma smiles wider and chuckles. 'True. He still has that bunny…the little pink one, you know?' 'Kumagorou,' Yuki mutters. 'I'll never forget that damn stuffed toy. He hurled it at my head every time…' A silence descends. 'You're oddly nostalgic, Eiri-san.' 'Its nothing.' The conversation passes and Yuki goes back to "work". Tohma returns to his dozing. _"Doesn't he have anything better to do?"_ Yuki thinks irritably. * Shuichi leaves the Office building, his weak legs barely supporting his weight. Ayaka had just put him through another horrid montage of his broken family…he had seen his death again. His funeral. His parents. His body feels broken…tears stain his face. Yet…he refuses the take it all on board. His main worry is currently Hiro, who he left in his apartment. The boy seems shook up and Shuichi only left because he was terrified of what would happen if he missed a counselling session. He makes his way as best as he can towards the apartments. His legs shake beneath him and his stomach churns. Without warning, he stumbles and goes straight over, landing roughly; his hands take the brunt of the blow. He feels the wounds on his wrists stretch and begin to split, allowing blood to rush forth. Shuichi lets out a dry sob, his tears having long deserted him. A sudden weight presses down on his shoulders, before pulling him to his feet. 'Come on,' murmurs a voice, coaxing. Shuichi staggers along, grateful someone is supporting him; he turns his gaze towards his help. 'YUKI!' he squeaks. The blonde releases Shuichi. 'You were heading towards the apartments, so, we're here.' 'Are you going?' Yuki nods. 'Yuki…wait. About…ah. Last night-' Yuki looks at him, questioningly. 'I…thank you.' 'For what?' 'All of it.' Yuki says nothing and moves away from Shuichi. The boy's shoulders slump. 'Be careful tonight,' Yuki mutters. 'You're exhausted…try to clear your mind before sleeping.' Shuichi looks on wordlessly and before he can say anything more, Yuki is gone. His heart sinks…he wants…wanted…he doesn't know. With a sigh, he shakily moves back to the apartment, enters and questions Hiro on his well-being. Hiro barely says a word. 'I'm tired,' Shuichi says. Hiro looks at him worried. 'What's the matter?' 'Shuichi…' Shuichi can barely muster the energy to reply anymore. 'Please…please…don't leave me alone tonight.' Silence passes between the boys. 'I-I—' 'Hiro, how about we stay together…to keep nightmares away?' Shuichi suggests. Hiro's dark look brightens slightly and he takes Shuichi's offered hand. They both enter the bedroom and curl up in each other's arm on the bed, feeling safe and protected. In Hiro's arms, Shuichi falls asleep with the image of Yuki in his head. * Yuki re-enters his office. 'Eiri-san! Back so soon?' Tohma shuts the filing cabinet drawer slowly. Yuki remembers why he had left in the first place, having been distracted by Shuichi… 'I guess.' 'Just in time…I'm leaving now.' Yuki breathes a sigh of relief. 'Just one last thing, Eiri-san.' 'What?' 'Don't forget what I proposed earlier. Promise me you will think about it.' 'I already said no.' 'Don't be stupid, it will get you away from this rabble who bring you down! It's a position of honour, to be an ArchAngel's assistant.' Yuki's anger flares. 'Tohma. I happen to LIKE this rabble.' Tohma narrows his eyes. 'I don't know what you're thinking, Eiri-san. Refuse me again, and I won't leave so calmly.' The ArchAngel is gone and Yuki slumps down in his chair. 'I like it here…' he mutters. **To Be Continued…**


	4. IV Feelings

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters in this little AU. Wish I did though. *sigh* **Notes & Warning:** Shounen-ai, a hint of malexmale sex (later!), dark, depressive, rape…and the list goes on. Hopefully; one day, this fic may show a better plot too. This chapter is …I'll leave you to find out. Sorry for the LONG wait [I will be saying that a lot] but my life is…messy at the moment. For 'nii-chan' I'm using it in the sense of a young child calling an older child, or just a way of talking to an elder [male]. *puzzles* **_Chapter Four_** Shuichi snuggles into the warm embrace of the arms encircling him. In his sleep, his dream of comfort and warmth begins to melt away, blurring into an unnameable puddle, before forming something new. _In his dream, Shuichi can see someone running, moving further and further away from him. The blurry face of the person turns to him and he can see his sister. Silently, she beckons to him, daring him in her look to follow. He smiles…a stupid little challenge like they always shared. He follows, chasing after her…reaching out to grab her arm and over take her. A rush of cold air brushes over his face, and it's no longer his sister with her daring look. He shudders to a stop and trips over his feet to get away. The figure stares at him and speaks with no words…Shuichi recognises what is said anyway._ What are you scared of, Shindou? _Shuichi falls backward in fear…memories of this person filling his mind. 'Stop…go away…' A hand touched his shoulder and he struggled to get away, flailing his arms out. He looks up and meets his mother's kind eyes. She holds her hand out to him and lifts him to his feet; slowly coaxing him back to the path Maiko had dared him to follow. He follows willingly…but the figure changes again and Shuichi halts fighting the person's grip off. Mitsuko looks at him, she smirks and reaches out. 'No…' he says, pushing her away. He can feel blood on his face and panics. 'NO! Don't hurt me again!' He shields his face. When he looks up again, the figure has moved further off, yet is still visible. He can see where they are heading too now. A wilting sakura tree; its blossoms floating to the floor in masses, like soft pink tears. He chases the figure, stopping and starting with each change depending on who the figure takes form of. He comes to a stop under the tree and is met, face to face, with Tohma…wings project from the Angels back, masses of royal black feathers, each fine and arranged. Tohma smiles and Shuichi's heart falls to a dead stop in fear. He can't explain why. He can't think why. Tohma terrifies him. Yet he can't look away. He cannot run. Instead, he looks around Tohma and sees Yuki. The blonde stares off into the distance, but looks around as Shuichi looks at him. Sorrow is imprinted on the blurred, yet recognisable face. Tohma stands between them and just stares down at Shuichi, even though he is barely taller._ Don't go…he's a bad man. _Arms encircle Shuichi's waist. Cold panic floods over him. _ Nii-chan. He's a bad man. _Shuichi screams…_ …And tries to struggle from Hiro's embrace. His heart pounds heavily in his chest, almost as though trying to escape. His breath frees itself in short heavy gasps. He can't open his eyes, the last image of his dream imprinted on his eyes. He fights to awaken. Fights against Hiro's hug, although he no longer has to. Hiro moves back in shock, fully awake. 'Shuichi?' A twisted high-pitched scream comes from Shuichi's parted lips. 'Shuichi!' Hiro grabs the boy by the arms, lifts him off the bed and shakes him awake. Shuichi's eyes jerk open and he falls backwards onto his pillow, throwing a hand up over his brow. Hiro stares at Shuichi's still body and hesitates, unsure of what to do. 'Shuichi…are…are you okay?' The pink haired boys hand slides away from his face and his blue eyes turn to Hiro. 'I'm fine. Just- it doesn't matter.' He sits up. 'It was only a nightmare.' 'What happened?' Shuichi sits. 'Nothing,' he says. Hiro raises his hands and opens his mouth, a gesture of protest. 'It was nothing,' Shuichi snaps, immediately regretting doing so. He ducks his head. 'Sorry, I don't want to talk about it.' Light sprinkles through the blinds and silence hangs in the air. 'I understand,' Hiro says finally. Shuichi feels a tear on his face, and lifts his hand to wipe it away, feigning wiping his nose. 'Are you going to be okay? It seemed pretty intense.' 'I'm sure I will be,' Shuichi says, raising and getting out of the bed. He says nothing to Hiro as he leaves the room, from embarrassment and from not wanting to break down in front of his friend. On the small coffee table in his fair sized living room is a note. _Counselling Session: Shindou Shuichi. Today._ He balls the note in his fists and sighs. It wasn't making to be a great day in hell, now, was it? * Yuki arrives at his office to find a young man sitting in front of the door, with another one standing just slightly off. He looks up as Yuki approaches and Yuki inwardly groans. Tatsuha. _"Which means…"_ 'Kumagorou! BEAM!' A soft pink plush bunny bounces off of Yuki's head with unbelievable power, sending the leader of second hell reeling. _"Hn, he's gotten better."_ Yuki's files drop to the floor as he reaches up to rub his injury, not quite believing that a soft toy could make that much an injury. 'YUUUUUUUUU-KK-KIIIIIIIIII' The shorter of the two men (and the one who was guilty of throwing the plush) crows his greeting, saying Yuki's name the way he tends to when he did so. 'Hello Ryuichi,' Yuki responds coldly. Even with the way he acts towards the other Angel, he does not hate him; it's quite the opposite. It's that occasionally Ryuichi was just an expert at getting on his nerves. He goes to open his office door but his ex-counselling Angel blocks the way. 'Ne, where have you been? You're late, you lazy ass!' Ryuichi looks up into his eyes, 'I know I'm not the influence of that,' he says in a childish manner, poking out his tongue. 'We were waiting ages.' He clutches Kumagorou to his chest and the small plush's head nods. Tatsuha snickers in the background, but says nothing when Yuki glares. 'What brings you here?' Ryuichi grins and throws Kumagorou at Yuki's head…again. 'Nothing to do and nothing to deal with!' 'No children in need of an idiot to help them out, then?' 'Nope!' Ryuichi tilts his head to the side. 'You're mean, Yuki.' 'Maybe.' Yuki nudges Ryuichi and finally gets into the office. Only to be pulled back and scorned by the noticeably shorter Ryuichi. 'Not today! I know you don't do work, I know what you're like!' 'You shouldn't act like that you know,' Yuki growls, but is ignored. 'Today, Yuki is coming out with me and Tatsuha to have fun and get away from musty old papers and dead boring Counselling Angels.' 'Ryuichi, you were a Counselling Angel once.' 'Beam!' Kumagorou rolls on the floor and gets picked up by Tatsuha. He hands the rabbit back to its hyperactive owner, earning a kiss on the cheek, which makes him blush. Yuki rolls his eyes. 'You two haven't gotten in trouble for your relationship yet, then?' 'They love me too much!' Ryuichi pokes his tongue out. 'We're straying from the point!' Yuki turns away as the two other Angels relax into an embrace, looking at him, 'I'm not going anywhere with you two. You're stupid to think for one moment that I wou—' 'Don't be a spoilsport, Yuki-san. We did come to visit you after all.' _"You'd think they'd know me better," _Yuki thinks in despair as he is led down the corridor and away from his office, door open still and wide open to all of the Second Hell. Shuichi shakes his head and rises from his crouched position outside the gloomy office block, feeling drained and weak. Again. With only two counselling sessions he has already concluded that they are a subtle form of torture. 'Punishment,' he looks at the long scars trailing down his wrists, probably the only self inflicted wounds on his body but the ones that caused him the most hassle. 'I don't regret being dead though. They're not here. I miss my family but…I'm more free than I ever was.' Maybe not, but Shuichi mutters the words to himself again to be reassured. He sings a song to himself as he walks along, trying to replace the images of his family at his funeral with happy memories of vacations and snow fights. He wanders through the large square of stone, which is obviously meant to be reminiscent of a town, but lacks town traits. Shuichi smiles at this. _"Hell shouldn't be like Life. I wonder why it's like this?" _ Something pulls him back from going to his apartment and to spend time with Hiro. He feels guilty for the cold way he acted before leaving…but… Shuichi's head thuds into someone else's. He stumbles backwards, clutching at his head. 'Owwww.' 'Uwa~ ow ow ow!' 'Ryu, are you okay!?' 'It hurrrtsssssss.' Shuichi dares to raise his head and look up, still wincing in pain. 'Hey, don't you look where you're going?' a tall, dark haired man accosts Shuichi, poking him in the chest. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean too…I-' 'Tatsuha, leave him alone.' 'I was just suggesting he look where he's going,' the man, Tatsuha (Shuichi assumes), looks at him pointedly. 'I really didn't mean too. I'm very sorry,' he addresses person he ran into who smiles. 'Don't worry! Tatsuha's a big meanie,' he smiles and turns to the older man, 'Yuki's right! Leave him alone!' 'Yuki?' Shuichi spots the blonde for the first time, who stares back at him. 'Kwaaa~ you know Yuki?' Shuichi nods stiffly, eyes fixed on the blonde. _"My knees suddenly feel like jelly…Yuki…I."_ The man Shuichi had run into swings a plush bunny rabbit up and thwaps Shuichi with it. 'Hiya! I'm Ryuichi! And that's Tatsuha. Now you know us all, you can walk around with us…we're forcing Yuki to take some time off. You can be his date!' Ryuichi winks at Shuichi, who blushes. 'Ryuichi…' Yuki says tersely. 'Oh, he doesn't mind, Yuki. Hehe.' Ryuichi grabs Shuichi by the arm and pulls him to his side. 'We'll take you on a tour!' 'I…un, okay.' Yuki rolls his eyes and follows along behind the three, only unable to escape due Ryuichi's regular glances backward. He looks at the back of Shuichi's head. The boy is enjoying Ryuichi's narration of hell and the tour. _"He has a cute smile…"_ Yuki thinks again, before shaking his head. The tour leads them over practically every inch on Second Hell. Ryuichi mentions nothing about Angels, or the fact that Yuki runs Second Hell (which of course, Shuichi is still oblivious too). Shuichi suddenly falls to a halt outside the apartment buildings. 'Ah, I should go,' Shuichi looks at Ryuichi, 'Sorry.' 'Nyaaah,' Ryuichi pouts, 'but you haven't seen the offices yet! They're fun…you can run in and mess up people's paper work!' He looks over at Yuki and winks. 'But! You have to let me and Tats come see ya again! Heeeeeeeeeh.' Shuichi looks slightly puzzled but nods. 'Sure, that'd be great. Uh…bye Yuki.' Shuichi departs and vanishes into the large arched doorways of the south block. 'Heh! Shuichi's fun, ne Kumagorou? Tatsuha?' Tatsuha smiles down at the slightly older, yet shorter angel. Yuki turns away. 'Oh, Tatsuha!' Ryuichi tilts his head thoughtfully, 'didn't we have an appointment today?' 'I…yeah.' 'I think we're late.' 'Doesn't matter really, Sakano will spaz out a bit but we'd of been waiting for ages anyway.' Yuki turns to look at them, 'Shouldn't you be going then? Or do you like trying to make our High Administrator do the impossible and die _again_?' Ryuichi makes a v sign and pokes his tongue out, before whispering something to Tatsuha. The dark-haired man nods and turns to leave. He nods a goodbye to Yuki and leaves the two Angels standing alone. 'You send your little lover away with no one to hold his hand? Not much of a _senpai_ are you really?' 'Yuki, you don't need to be so mean. He's not a child, nor are you, so don't act like one,' Ryuichi says, dropping his happy-go-lucky attitude. Yuki says nothing and doesn't react to the change. Ryuichi is a complex character, with a complex past. In some way, the two came to understand each other when Ryuichi had counselled Yuki all those years ago. And it had been a long time. 'I had fun today. You?' 'I could have done work.' 'Hah! You don't work Yuki. I'm not as…well, Tohma's not blind, but he believes you, or just goes along with your game. You write short stories and read books, that's all you do. Don't you get bored?' 'I'm dead, Ryuichi, I shouldn't even be here really. Death shouldn't be like this.' There is a short pause before Ryuichi changes the angle of the conversation. 'He likes you, Yuki.' 'Who?' 'Uwa~' Ryuichi pulls a face. 'Don't play dumb! Shuichi! SHU-IC-HIIIII! The little pink haired boy.' 'I don't know what you're talking about.' 'He had little stars in his eyes when he looked at you.' 'And even if he did, he'll never get anywhere.' 'Never say never,' Ryuichi winks and pokes Yuki in the ribs, causing the blonde to jerk away. 'I saw the way he looked at you, and the way you looked at him when you thought no one was looking. You looked at him the way you used to look at –' 'Ryuichi.' Yuki snarls warningly. 'What?' 'Don't bring the past up.' 'Puuu. Fine then. But this isn't the past; I don't even know where or when this is. But don't deny your feelings again Yuki. It'll go wrong like the last time.' Yuki stares nonchalantly over at the apartment buildings, trying to ignore the shorter Angel. 'I have to go and catch up with Tatsuha…' Ryuichi clutches Kumagorou to his chest. 'Listen to me Yuki. I know what you went through, I've seen it all remember…Just think about this, ne ne?' He smiles one last time and leaves Yuki standing alone. As always. * Hiro looks at Shuichi. Night has fallen and the two are preparing for bed. He smiles softly; 'Are you okay, Shuichi?' 'Eh?' the boy nods. 'Been through a lot and we haven't even been here long, right?' 'Hah, yeah, that's true. Its pretty tough,' Shuichi closes his eyes as he grins weakly, trying to put across emotion of happiness. 'You were gone a long time today…' Hiro says, pulling back the bed sheets and climbing in. They had both opted to stay in Shuichi's apartment again, as Hiro's is further off and there was no point in moving to and fro. 'I…I had to get some thoughts in my head sorted out,' Shuichi says, unable to reason why he didn't share the details of what he had really done. He shrugs mentally, and decides it doesn't matter. He climbs into bed alongside Hiro; the cold sheets making goose bumps rise on his bare legs. He curls up in a ball and turns on his side, facing his friend. Hiro is staring at the ceiling. 'Did you sort them out?' 'Eh?' 'The thougts…' 'Sort of.' 'Shuichi?' 'What?' 'I…I…' Hiro trails off and says nothing more. Shuichi sits up and sees Hiro has turned away and is in the pretence of sleep. He frowns but rolls over and tries to fall asleep himself. The small clock in the room ticks quietly. Shuichi cracks open his eyes, and sees that three hours have passed. Hiro is snoring softly beside him and Shuichi closes his eyes again, willing sleep. Only to open them again after another thirty minutes. He spins around and sits up in the bed, legs dangling over the side, feet barely touching the floor. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. _Maiko, please eat something. Why didn't I see anything was wrong? We can only blame ourselves. Onii-chan always wore a smile…why didn't I see?_ His breathing hitches, and a small tear rolls down his cheek. 'I've hurt them so much,' he whispers and tries to ignore the echoes of his family's voices. He pulls himself off the bed and leaves the room, not wanting to wake Hiro with his crying. The floor is cold and the apartment is dark and quiet. Shuichi wraps his arms around himself, feeling dejected. He leans against the wall and crumples to the floor. He falls still for a long time. The fake night passes slowly and begins to get lighter. He stirs and lifts up his head; his skin feels stiff from dried tears. Slowly he stands, feeling shaky and weak. He staggers to the apartment's front door and opens it, blinking in the weak light. Deciding suddenly, he makes the choice to go the stone garden…simply because it's the only place he can remember the way too. Still dressed in the light shorts and t-shirt he wore as nightclothes he leaves the apartment. * Yuki looks up from his book and is slightly surprised to see a worn out and beaten looking Shuichi. 'Yuki…I…I didn't expect to see you here.' 'I don't sleep…not well anyway and not often.' 'Oh.' Shuichi looks down at his feet, standing rigidly away from the bench. 'You can sit down.' The boy jumps, startled and edges nervously to perch on the edge of the wide uncomfortable stone slab. Yuki picks up his book again to read. Shuichi says nothing. The blonde glances sideways at the young boy, who is distracting him from the short paperback and he's not even doing anything. He likes you Yuki. _"How can he like me? He doesn't even know me." _ 'Why don't you sleep well?' He suddenly blurts, cheeks tinged red. Yuki puts his eyes back on the nonsensical text and replies coolly; 'Nightmares.' 'Really?' Shuichi balls his fists, 'Is that from the counselling too?' Yuki raises an eyebrow, and gives up on his feigned interest in the book, setting it down next to him on the book. 'Possibly.' 'Possibly?' Shuichi looks at him unsure. Yuki nods. 'I don't like to talk about it.' 'Oh. Okay,' the boy goes back to looking at his bare feet. 'Aren't you cold?' Shuichi's head shakes reverently to illustrate the point that he is not. The silence is making even Yuki uncomfortable. 'Ryuichi says you like me.' He says suddenly, shocking even himself. Shuichi sits up dead straight and teeters on the edge of the bench. 'W…I…er…Hahah…I—' Yuki grasps Shuichi's face gently by the chin. 'Do you?' Shuichi's eyes search for somewhere to look other than Yuki's own amber gaze, but eventually he relents. Purple blue on catlike amber. 'I…' 'Don't?' 'I…I DO!' Shuichi jerks away from Yuki's grasp and stands up. 'You kissed me,' he says quietly. 'It was only a kiss.' 'Really?' The hurt in the boy's eyes reflect a past pain for Yuki and the blonde feels a stab at his conscience. He stands and softly places a hand on Shuichi's cheek, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. 'No. Not really.' … 'I like you too.' _"If Ryuichi finds out about this, I'll never get rid of the fact that he was right. I guess that's what centuries do to a friendship."_ Shuichi stares wordlessly at Yuki. 'Really?' A soft smile traces the Angel's lips. 'Really.' 'Really, really?' Shuichi narrows his eyes. 'Really, really.' Shuichi's eyes close and he smiles widely. Yuki rolls his eyes. _"This is sickening." _ 'Yuki…' 'What?' 'How do you do know Ryuichi…he's not in Second Hell, is he?' 'I know him by…' _"I know him because I'm older than you think. I'm an Angel."_ 'He used to be here. We were friends,' Yuki lies easily, putting as much truth as possible into his story. 'He's an…' 'Angel. Yes.' Shuichi's eyes glaze over. 'Yuki.' 'More questions?' 'Will you kiss me? Again? Please…' Yuki softly grasps Shuichi's chin again. 'You don't need to ask twice.' His lips graze over Shuichi's and his feels the boy's breath hitch slightly. His arms encircle Shuichi's slim waist and he presses down with tangible pressure on soft lips, teasing them open. Shuichi pushes himself further into the embrace, pulling Yuki's head down by putting his arms around the taller man's neck and weaving his fingers into soft blonde hair. _"Young and innocent, he's not the same. Not even close. This is nothing like before…"_ Yuki thinks defiantly, _"I won't mess up again."_ **To Be Continued…** ------ Footnotes: Okay. A long wait. And I'm going to fill you all in on Yuki's past eventually…its not a major factor in the scheme of things, but I think its best to show how he knows Ryuichi and especially how he knows Tohma. So, I'll probably do a side story as a chapter. So if Chapter 5 doesn't turn up for months, you know why. I basically have a lot of trouble at the moment trying to keep this story consistent…but its still fun. I'm not much of an angst writer; the humour [or…MY humour] is always there, so I'm sorry. Plus I've come to realise I suck at writing dialogue and keeping characters IC T.T Poor Ryuichi. And Tatsuha was so quiet. Sorry for the author bitching. I guess I just felt the need to ramble. But it's finally done! Any questions I will answer if I can. Just keep in mind I have my plot, but not all my details [poorly prepared]. Well, I shall go now. ^-^ Thanks for reading! 


	5. Annex Yuki

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters in this little AU. Wish I did though. *sigh* **Notes & Warning:** This is not within the main storyline of LtBF and follows a first person perspective of Yuki and what happened to him when he first arrived in hell. Much bastardising of character. Basically, I figured I should myself away from reading/writing smut and get some work done cuz I love this fic. ^-^ Enjoy the x amount of pages of random blathering on. **_Annex//Yuki_** When I died, I was nineteen. Don't even ask me how old I am know, I wouldn't know how to begin counting my years. I'm younger than Ryuichi, much younger than Tohma. And slightly older than Tatsuha, much older than Shuichi…which is why I'm hesitant about all this. I mean; Shuichi's a child in my eyes. A baby, really. And these feelings are wrong. He doesn't know what I am. Don't misunderstand me though, they're not wrong because we're both male. I've been through this sort of relationship before, in the events leading to my death. It's wrong because it feels right. But I think I'm sidetracking. I was nineteen, but I looked older. My mother said I was handsome; my mother treasured me, apparently. She made great strawberry cakes, just the right amount of sweetness. I don't know what happened to my mother. I lied to Shuichi when I said I didn't remember how I died. I'm not going to tell him that though. Only Ryuichi knows and that's because Ryuichi was my counselling angel. I think he did more damage than good. Oh, and one other person. I try my best to avoid him. It's not Tohma either…even though he asks. Staff meetings are not a nice thing to go through, though. Again, I'm wandering from my topic. I'm usually good at telling tales, putting them down in words. Maybe this is because it actually happened? Maybe. I don't know. I haven't thought about this in a long time. Perhaps kissing Shuichi brought this all back. Shuichi. What's so special about this boy? When I died, I was in love. Yes, with another man. I don't know about now, but society wasn't in the mood for acceptance then. I was also engaged to a woman, my father having arranged it all so I could "carry on the great family name". This man killed me…and took his sweet time about it. I was too blind, I didn't see, but I was a mere toy. He was older than me. I suppose that's a given. I can remember looking up into his eyes as I died, and what I had once seen as a loving look was nothing but poisoned lust. He enjoyed it. Killing me, that is. Kitazawa. I don't know what happened afterwards. I know no one ever found out, he told me, scathingly. I can remember the exact words he said to me, the tone and the look on his face. He's the leader of 4th Hell. The real punishment area. None of the crappy counselling stuff. I did wonder for a long time, while I wallowed in bitterness, what had happened when I first arrived in Hell. There were no levels, then. Knowing this, it makes me feel ancient. I'm sidetracking again…aren't I? I'll go back to the start. I was nineteen when I died. The man I loved killed me; it was an unrequited love I realised as I died. Through my time in hell, I've managed to get over this, gradually. I died, and I was sent to Hell. I blamed myself for driving Kitazawa to killing me and I figured this was just my punishment. I was wrong. Hell shocked me. It was just as huge as I had imagined, and was divided, not into levels, but into sections, which were restricted. The levels came about much later, so as to stop any definite muddles up. And there was no fire. There was no brimstone. No wicked little red me with black moustaches and pitchforks to put you into agony for the rest of your eternal life. In fact, it was just like life, perhaps with a few more restrictions, if anything. And a bit more advanced. I'd never seen elevators before. And everyone had to see these happy crappy counselling Angels into order to advance onto 'Heaven'. I just wanted to be left alone. I figured anyone would understand that. But no, I had a counselling Angel assigned to me. Ryuichi. We clashed. We didn't get on; he tried in vain to become nothing but my friend, to help me. I learned, later on, that Ryuichi used unorthodox methods. He spoke to me, rather than show me what I'd caused. The little memory flashes, the past and the present combined. I never saw any of that. I was left to wonder if my mother cried. If my father just shrugged as I imagined he would and pass the obligation to carry on the family to my younger brother. Ryuichi. And that damned bunny, which I've never seen him without. I don't know what happened to Ryuichi, but I know it's worse than what happened to me. He smiles, but he hurts. Even know, with Tatsuha. I spent more time arguing with my counselling Angel then I did healing, recuperating. Counselling can go on for any length of time…until you are considered ready to pass on. Mine never seemed to finish. I didn't hate Ryuichi though, he just tried to be happy too much and it drove me insane. And then, one day he passed this piece of paper to me. That was my last counselling session. And I was left to regret. He cheered me on and told me that I was lucky. I choose to be an Angel. I told Ryuichi I wanted to be his friend. And he threw Kumagorou at me. "You're already my friend!" But he told me I shouldn't have become an Angel. I didn't understand then and I don't understand now. Tohma. I met Tohma because Ryuichi introduced me to a group of Counselling Angels and Tohma was there. I smiled cordially at him, nervous because everyone else was. It was a staff meeting of sorts, discussing possible new systems as Hell always had problems. And Tohma never stopped watching me. Even after the meeting. Time passed, I grew to know more about Tohma and he told me he wanted me. Wanted me? I refused. He shrugged it off and changed the topic. He's never stopped trying however. He's resorted to threats now. He's powerful. I don't know what he'll do. Maybe I'm beyond caring anymore. I don't hate him. Hell changed, and nobody noticed apart from the Angel's. Because the souls were two wrapped up in themselves to care. I revelled in counselling, it was like rebuilding a person. But then, Kitazawa arrived. He was older, ancient almost, but he had died and was classified a murderer. I refused to counsel him and he was triumphant. The bastard. Tohma helped me, even though he didn't know the circumstances, Ryuichi fought with me, a Counselling Angel does not refuse to do their job. I didn't counsel him. But I wasn't relieved, in spite, I knew. He stayed. He stayed and I felt that maybe now there really was a devil. He became leader of the fourth level. Hell continued to change and the levels came about. Ryuichi told me he didn't want to counsel anymore, and with the new system it was his perfect chance. He asked to help lost children, those who weren't supposed to be dead. I never knew why, I still don't. But he was permitted to do so and was left to go about it as he wished. Children don't deserve the same course of 'treatment' as their elders; their souls aren't mature enough. But when are souls mature enough? Ryuichi left and I continued to counsel. I rarely saw my only friend, my only true friend. When I met Tatsuha, I knew immediately that we were somehow related. He looked like me, he said it himself how much it shocked him, the only difference being our eye and hair colour. His is dark, black hair and brown eyes, compared to my tawny hair and eyes. He was the last soul I counselled before I became leader of the second level, where I am now and nothings changed. I liked Tatsuha, we became friends, and I introduced him to Ryuichi. I felt left out after that, but grew not to care. As Tatsuha earned to the right to move on, he chose to stay with Ryuichi, their friendship developing into something more. They love each other. And they complement each other. And I've often questioned myself over being jealous by it. I don't know. And time passed. And I haven't changed; I'm bound to this body. I suppose you could ask if I were bored with it and sometimes I am. But things come along and are exciting. You see so much, people passing through and I don't really notice any of them. They stay a long time, but its nothing to me, because I'll always be here. I died and I lived on. How contradictory. Oh, there's another reason its wrong. I'll hold Shuichi back. Won't I? **End Annex//Yuki** _Footnotes:_ Okie dokie. Yeah, I'll try and get the next chapter out ASAP. Will probably do more of these as well. Hehe ^-^ Fun. 


	6. V Truth

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters in this little AU. Wish I did though. *sigh* **Notes & Warning: ** Shounen-ai, a hint of malexmale sex (later!), dark, depressive, rape…and the list goes on. Long wait…blah x) Angst, angst, angst. Almost as good as smut ^_________^ niko. **Chapter 5** Shuichi's fingers were making small circles on the back of Yuki's neck, running through the short tendrils of blonde hair that were longer than the rest of Yuki's hair. The motion of Shuichi's fingers made the Angel tingle. Just holding Shuichi, lips against the younger boy's lips, made Yuki tingle. His lips were soft and he smelt of strawberries. Strawberries. Yuki's favourite fruit. He hadn't kissed anyone in a long time. A very long time. His last kiss had been…Yuki scorns his thoughts back into the dark corner they are kept in. He doesn't want to think of… that. Shuichi's body presses against his and Yuki responds by tightening the embrace both of them are tangled in. The kiss ends and the two bodies curl around each other. Yuki breathes in the scent of Shuichi's hair, feels Shuichi's face pressed into his chest. 'Mmmm,' the vibrations of Shuichi's sigh seep into Yuki's body. The boy pulls back and looks up at Yuki. He smiles widely, causes Yuki's lips to twitch into a sort-of-smile. Gradually, Shuichi's smile eases into a dopey grin of utter contentment. Yuki pulls the boy into an embrace and lays a kiss on the crown of Shuichi's head. 'You should return to your apartment,' He mutters softly. Shuichi gives a start. 'Yes, yes…er…' he looks around almost guiltily, 'I should.' Yuki raises an eyebrow in question to Shuichi's sudden change in behaviour. Shuichi backs away from him slightly. 'It's gotten very light,' he says absently. Yuki grabs hold of his wrist, feeling the scars beneath his fingers tips; 'Is something the matter?' _"Of course something's the matter;"_ Yuki realises _"Idiot, Eiri, of course. Regret. Or disgust now." _He drops Shuichi's arm as though it were red hot. 'Yes. I…was just realising-' 'I understand.' 'Eh?' Shuichi tilts his head in confusion. 'I was just thinking that I left Hiro by himself and…that was really horrible to do. I said I'd try and help him, and I just left him…Mouuuuuu,' His eyes lose the glimmer of happiness and fill with self-loathing. 'Hiro?' 'Yeah. My friend. We stay with each other…' Yuki wrinkles his nose; trying to figure out exactly what Shuichi is saying to him. 'Stay…with…each…other?' 'Yeah.' Shuichi's eyebrows knit together; 'Why are you looking at me like that?' 'I'm sorry,' Yuki looks stern, feeling slightly angered by Shuichi's explanation of this Hiro, maybe even jealous, he realises, which adds to his frown, 'but I don't quite understand what your saying to me.' 'Eh?' There's a heavy silence between the two of them as Shuichi tries to figure out the blonde man's words. 'OH!' He blushes; 'it's not like…like…_that_. Hiro's my friend!' Shuichi can feel his ears burn. 'Really.' Yuki's eyes remain narrowed in a glare. 'Really,' Shuichi sounds desperate and the pleading look on his face makes Yuki soften. He sighs and swipes a hand through his hair. 'I wasn't thinking that.' 'But you …you got all pouty,' Shuichi says, almost…teasing, his face relaxing back into a happy smile. Yuki looks him in the eyes; 'Don't worry about it.' 'Un.' 'Go back to your apartment.' 'Yes.' Shuichi makes no move to leave; he steps forward and loops his arms around Yuki's neck, stands on his tiptoes and kisses the man. 'Will I see you later?' He asks, quietly. Yuki nods slowly and Shuichi detaches himself and waves goodbye, vanishing from sight mere seconds later. Yuki sits on the bench and rests his head in his hands. He scuffs his foot along the dirt. 'What am I doing?' He asks himself. _"Something that's not right. Something that's not acceptable. But you don't care."_ * The months and the weeks (in Shuichi's mind) pass by in a blur. The more time he spends him Hell, the more he finds himself adjusting. His relationship with Yuki grows slowly, and Shuichi finds himself spending more and more time with the man, missing him when they're not together. When he's not spending time with Yuki, he's with Hiro and Suguru. The friendship he has with them makes him reason that death will always be better than life, which doesn't help Ayaka's job. Shuichi barely realises that he rarely goes to counselling sessions. Where as Hiro's are almost daily, Shuichi may see Ayaka once every two weeks or so. 'Maybe it's because we're all different types of "counselees" or something. Gotta have the amount of sessions which is best suited too us?' Was Hiro's only reasoning for this. Suguru didn't help anymore than that either, having kept to himself when he was a resident of Hell. Shuichi figured it wasn't much to worry about after a while. * _"It must have been at least eight months since I died,"_ Shuichi realises idly as he watches the occasional person pass by him. Sitting to his side is Suguru, amsuing himself by throwing small stones at the wall opposite and watching them crack or shatter. There's a dwindling pile of stones in between them. Shuichi rests his chin on his knees and curls his hands around his ankles, looking sidelong at Suguru. 'What is it?' Suguru asks, his arm poised in the air, mid-throw. Shuichi shakes his head and looks away. 'It's been a while--' Suguru starts. 'Been a while, what?' 'Since you just sat here and did nothing. You're always running off. Hiro said you vanish at night sometimes, as well.' A pale blush springs to life in Shuichu's face. 'It's suspicious, that's all,' Suguru pauses, 'but if you have a secret I think you should tell me!' 'EH?' 'Would you rather tell Ayaka?' 'Well, no but, I rarely see Ayaka anyway, but really Suguru, it's nothing.' Suguru raises an eyebrow and looks at him sceptically, 'Stop vanishing then.' Shuichi's mouth opens and closes several times, trying to find a response. 'Well, I-I-I...' Suguru throws another stone ar the wall, it splits into three pieces upon impact. 'I-I-what?' 'I'm seeing someone,' Shuichi blurts, eyes widening in realisation instantly. He claps his hands over his mouth. 'WHAT!?' Suguru bounces up from his seat. Shuichi glares mildly at his friend. 'Is that allowed?' 'You're the Angel, you tell me!' 'Well, I obviously don't know. Anyway, whatever,' Suguru sits back down and tries to look dignified after his outburst. 'Who is she? Just so I can tell Hiro, of course.' 'Oh, and that makes it alright,' Shuichi bites his lip, 'and its not like she's a she,' he adds, mumbling. 'Huh? What did you say?' Shuichi hesitates. 'Well?' 'She isn't a she...Think more along the lines of -well- another guy.' 'Geh?' Suguru says stupidly. 'You wanted to know!' 'You're gay?!' Shuichi shrugs and goes back to resting his head on his knees. Suguru flops over onto the steps, lying down. 'Phew; you're obviously one for the records Shuichi.' 'What's that supposed to mean?' Shuichi asks, his eyes narrow. 'Nothing! So what's the lucky gi-er-guy's name?' 'Yuki,' Shuichi says, smiling fondly. 'Yuki--?' 'I only know him as "Yuki".' Suguru lets out a long suffering sigh, 'Typical.' Shuichi, in mature response, sticks his tongue out. 'I've heard of a Yuki before.' 'The name can't be that rare,' Shuichi reasons. 'Is he blonde?' Suguru asks. Shuichi gaves him a look but nods. 'Golden eyes...maybe?' 'Yeah...' With a frown; Suguru mutters, 'Can't be whom I'm thinking of. It's impossible.' 'What are you on ab--' There's a cough behind them, and both boys turn to see the Counsellor Ayaka standing there. 'I wish my job were as easy as yours, Suguru, in order to be able to sit around doing nothing, but no. It's not. I have to sit and listen to people's lives for hours and hours.' 'What's this leading to Ayaka?' Ayaka raises an eyebrow, her lips set in a thin, stern line. 'Oh, I was just wondering if you'd like to do some work today.' She throws a rather thick file at Suguru, who catches it deftly. 'But then again, I'm not going to give you a choice.' Suguru rolls his eyes and peers at the file. 'It needs to find it's way to Kei, preferably, or one of the little minions in third.' 'I'm not a messenger, Ayaka.' 'It's not a **message.** It's a file.' 'Why does it need to go to third?' Ayaka shrugs. 'It needs to be in third. That's all I was told.' Shuichi, who is being completely ignored, speaks up; 'Uh, what's "third"? If I'm allowed to know...' Suguru turns to him; 'It's the third level, there are four known levels in total,' he explains. 'Suguru,' Ayaka says warningly. 'Okay, okay! Kei. Third. Done. See you later, Shuichi.' Suguru strides off into the distance. Shuichi sighs and makes to leave. 'Ah, Shindou, wait a minute.' 'What is it Ayaka?' Ayaka frowns at him and takes him by the shoulders. 'I just thought I'd warn you about who you make relations with, you may not always know the real people behind the masks displayed here.' 'That's just the same as life,' Shuichi points out. 'It's a bit more vital here, but I'm not going to, nor is it correct conduct, to share why.' Shuichi's eyebrows knit into the centre of his forehead. 'Huh?' 'Don't worry about it,' Ayaka lets him go and re-enters the counselling offices. Shuichi stands still for a moment. 'Ayaka! Wait!' He dashes through the doors just in time. 'What?' 'I was just wondering.' Ayaka looks at him questioningly. 'Just wondering why I haven't been having counselling sessions?' Ayaka opens her mouth in silent response, pausing to think the question over. She smiles at him, pushing her hair back from her face. 'Because, I'm trying out something different. But don't tell anyone.' She walks away. Shuichi is left confused. * Ayaka doesn't return to her office. She pauses round the corner after her short discussion with Shuichi. She raises her hand to her mouth and bites down on her index finger, debating the thoughts in her head. After a few minutes pass by, Ayaka decides and opens up the third door on her left and steps into a Synthetic Room, just like the one Shuichi entered to get the Second Hell's reception. The room is smaller however and this one leads to the Angel residence and the offices of the leaders. She finds herself (although, of course, it's no shock to her) in a room which always seems freshly painted and vividly alive. The Lobby. A few off-duty Angels are sitting in the Lobby, reading beaten books or drinking water from fiddly little glasses. They're all nameless faces really, Angels from other levels or other ranks. Ayaka pays them no heed; they're just the usual background decoration. Instead, she heads straight for her destination, already knowing the path without having to pay much attention. She wonders about knocking first, even though she'd really just like to slam the door open, but Tohma might be there. _"ArchAngel or not, he's creepy, that Tohma,"_ she thinks, reaching Yuki's office. She knocks. There's the muffled sound of a sigh from within, which is then followed by a reluctant 'Come in.' Yuki's bent over a thin stack of lined paper, which is crinkled beyond belief, almost as though it's been screwed up and then unscrewed repeatedly. An old, worn fountain pen is in his hand, darting across the page as he works to get his ideas down as fast as they come to him. Ayaka coughs, folds her hands across her chest and taps her foot in impatience. Yuki looks up. 'Can't you see I'm writing?' 'It can wait.' Startling golden eyes narrow in anger. Ayaka glares back evenly. 'It's important.' 'It's one of your short stories, Yuki.' His fountain pen drops onto the paper leaving little splatters of ink and Yuki leans back in his chair. He sends Ayaka a withering look. 'What?' Ayaka counts to ten, slowly, curling her fingers into a ball. 'Well,' she says tersely, 'I heard a little something today.' Yuki rolls his eyes to the ceiling, looking completely disinterested. 'Are you having a relationship with Shindou Shuichi?' Yuki's eyes snap in to focus on her. 'Well?' She asks, 'are you?' 'I have no idea what y---' 'Don't. I heard it from the boy himself. You hypocritical bastard. So don't lie to me.' Yuki stands, his hands in fists firm on the desk. 'Who are you too--? I can---' 'What was it you said? _"They cannot socialise with angels"_, well...? I hope you realise that wasn't even all that long ago, not even a YEAR has past since you lectured me on methods of counselling Yuki!' Ayaka takes a breath, 'I'm not making any sense. You're a hypocrit, you told me I couldn't try out a new method of counselling to help one of my subjects, but I suppose it doesn't matter anyway.' Yuki relaxes slightly; 'It's not like it's any of your business what I choose to do, I'm of a higher rank than you and you have no right to interfere with what I choose to do.' 'You're right, yes,' Ayaka levels with him, 'but I do have the right to...interfere...with what a subject chooses to do.' Yuki's glare falters. 'What?' 'Oh, put it together Yuki, the boy I wanted to allow to 'socialise' with Angels was the same one you're having the smooches with.' Ayaka resists looking smug or triumphant, having scored a point against second Hell's leader. Maybe even several points. Yuki says nothing. 'Didn't know? Didn't figure it out? I thought I described him quite well in our conversation. Pink hair's not hard to miss.' Yuki makes a feeble gesture with his hands; 'The youth of today...' he mutters. Ayaka rolls her eyes. 'You're aware more than most of us that this is a huge "no-no" right?' 'Of course I know it, you damned bitch!' Yuki suddenly rages. 'I'm not stupid! Don't you realise? Nothing but a child in my eyes, is what you are! I can't help that the kid likes my company! I do know what is taboo in this little Hell.' He slams his fist down on the desk making Ayaka jump. 'Well...' There's a tense silence. Ayaka has no idea what to say next. She's never seen Yuki mad before; the Angel is always calm and stoic. Yuki sits and looks up at Ayaka calmly. 'Is there anything else you have to say?' 'Yes. There's a lot, but two matters come to mind at present.' Ayaka notices the dangerous glint in Yuki's eyes and looks away. 'What does Shindou know? About you, that is.' 'That I'm here.' 'He doesn't know who you are,' she states. 'It never came up.' Ayaka leans over too him; 'You never brought it up.' 'He never asked.' 'Really?' Yuki shrugs. 'So you haven't told him you're an Angel. An Angel and Leader of Second Hell no less.' 'What does this matter to you?' Ayaka rolls her eyes. 'I'm looking out for the best interest of my subject, Yuki. Or do you forget that the whole point of being an Angel is to help, not to do what we want.' 'I'm not stupid.' 'I know you're not.' Yuki glares at her. Ayaka hesitates. 'I must insist that you cease your relationship with Shindou, then.' Yuki says nothing. 'If you don't,' Ayaka continues, 'I'll have to take further action. I'll have to tell Tohma.' The blonde Angel remains silent, glaring over his hands at Ayaka. 'I'll be leaving now. I have a session,' she says coolly. She leaves the room. Yuki stares at the door for a second, before standing and hurling the pad of paper at the door in anger. 'What does she have to do with anything?' He collapses back into his chair. * Shuichi finds himself sitting in exactly the same place the following day. Suguru sits alert beside him, casting wary glances towards the doors of the office building. 'Hiro will be out soon, Suguru,' Shuichi says. Suguru's nervous twitching and constant movement is making him edgy. 'I'm not looking for Hiro, I'm looking for Ayaka.' Suguru swings around quickly, tense, before turning back to Shuichi after seeing no one behind him. 'Why?' 'Because I'm not about to be sent on another stupid errand today,' Suguru snaps, 'I was running around for hours yesterday! Kei doesn't even spend anytime in third! And he's meant to be running it! Too busy having stupid chit chat with that admin, Sakano!' The Angel's face falls into pout mode. 'And on top of that! Ayaka was meant to take that file to him personally! Grrr, she was just giving me pointless jobs because she can!' 'Er--calm down?' Suguru looks Shuichi in the eyes and smiles, almost creepily. 'I am calm.' 'Oookay.' There's a short silence between them, broken only by a sigh from Suguru. 'I was thinking about what we talked about yesterday, you know?' Shuichi tilts his head. 'Oh?' 'Yeah. Did you see...Yuki...last night?' Shuichi shakes his head before resting it on his knees. 'I stayed with Hiro. He was pretty upset after counselling yesterday.' Suguru nods; 'You haven't had a session in ages.' 'No. Ayaka said she was using a different method or something,' Shuichi shrugs, 'doesn't matter, right?' 'Guess not. Anyway. I was thinking about your relationship with this...Yuki.' 'If you don't want to talk to me cuz I'm gay Suguru, just say it,' Shuichi says impatiently. 'It's not that! No, it's just; if this Yuki is the Yuki I know, then Shuichi, you're going out with the Leader of Second Hell.' 'What?' 'The description matched. And well, if they are the same...Angel, person...whatever, then, it means there could be quite a lot of trouble.' Shuichi stares at Suguru wordlessly. 'I mean; I'm not even supposed to be friends with you, Shuichi, but having a relationship with a subject...I don't know what will happen, but it's guranteed not to be pretty.' 'So if Yuki is...who gets punished?' 'Well, probably him. Ayaka too, because she should be filling your time with counselling. I'd get in trouble. And you...you'd have to go back.' 'Back?' 'And start again, with all this...You'd have to start your counselling over, with no memory of whats happened.' 'No.' 'Shuichi, you have to stop seeing Yuki, even if he's not an Angel.' 'No.' 'Shuichi.' 'Leave me alone,' Shuichi stands up, 'I want to be alone.' Suguru watches Shuichi leave with a sad look. 'Why didn't you just choose me, Shuichi?' * Yuki finds Shuichi waiting for him that night. The boy looks distracted, far away off in a different world perhaps. Yuki frowns when he spots him and immediatly goes to comfort Shuichi, in the only way he can. But he holds himself back, sharply reminding himself of Ayaka's words. _"I don't want Tohma involved. It's better for Shuichi this way. I don't care about myself."_ He sits down on the stone bench. 'Shuichi,' he offers as a greeting. He puts space between them. He feels oddly nervous and out of character. The boy remains in his daze. Yuki can see up close that Shuichi has been crying. His face is tearstained and his hair in disarray. His shoulders are hunched over and his head is ducked down. 'Did you have a counselling session today?' Yuki asks, cautiously. The mass of pink hair shakes slightly. 'Yu...ki...' Shuichi's voice croaks. 'Shuichi; there's something we need to talk about.' 'I know,' Shuichi whispers hoarsely. Yuki tenses; _Ayaka told him. Ayaka told him."_ Shuichi looks up, his eyes wet. 'Yuki, I don't want you to get in trouble.' 'What?' 'Really. Truely, I'm not worth it. I know I'm not because that's all I know. I'm not worth trouble.' 'What are you on about?' Shuichi stands up, shakily. 'I know I'm not worth you being in trouble okay. But...just tell me--' he chokes back a sob, 'who are you?' Yuki stares at the boy before him, wordlessly. 'Are you just Yuki?' Shuichi wipes his rapidly forming tears away with his sleave, 'Or are you some Angel? Someone I don't know? The Leader of Second Hell?' He throws his arms out, 'The leader of all this?' Yuki's mouth hangs open. He can't push himself to answer. He stands up and tries to draw Shuichi to him. 'DON'T! Don't make it harder for me. I just want to know and then I won't be trouble anymore.' 'Shuichi.' 'I don't care if you lied! I don't! Don't think it, because I like you. I like you so much. But IT'S NOT WORTH IT IF IT'S GOING TO BE BAD!' 'Shuichi! Stop. Explain.' 'I don't want to go back. And I don't want to forget you. I don't want anyone to be in trouble over me. I'll be good, I'll sit and I'll regret what I did. Because you're worth it. Because I like you. BUT TELL ME. What are you?' 'I'm an Angel. You're right. I'm the Leader of Second Hell,' Yuki says slowly. 'But it doesn't matter.' Shuichi shakes his head. 'Shuichi.' Shuichi's hands dig into his scalp. 'I can't. It matters, Yuki. It matters. Don't lie!' Yuki puts a hand on Shuichi's shoulder, but the boy shrugs it off. 'I can't because I love you,' the boy says, eye's glistening. 'I'm going now.' He turns on his heel and runs as fast as he can, holding back the initial break down. Running. 'SHUICHI!' But Yuki's voice doesn't reach him. * Yuki stares after the boy, body shaking, hand reaching outwards. He drops his hand back to his side and stares at floor. He can't think what to do. 'It wasn't meant to happen like that.' _**"I can't because I love you."**_ Shuichi's words circle about in the blonde's head, confusing him and making his heart ache. 'What did he mean?' Yuki slumps onto the bench, almost as if he had no bones in his body. The fake daylight dims slowly, if it were the real world it would be a beautiful sunset. Yuki can feel tears in the corners of his eyes and wipes them away. He doesn't cry, he hasn't since...for a long time. 'I don't know what to do.' He watches the nothing above him. No sky in Hell. Just Hell. Pain and regret over life and no one can escape it. The only way to Heaven is through Hell. Yuki smiles idly; 'Could have been in this place for at least another four lifetimes,' he says, randomly, even though it doesn't matter. He turns his head in the direction Shuichi had gone. 'Shuichi.' Not like Kitazawa because he cares. Because he loves. Because he's innocent. Yuki rises from his seat and goes back to his office. * 'Hiro,' Shuichi finds the red haired boy sitting outside his apartment. 'Hi, Shu.' 'Are you okay?' 'Fine...you don't look so good though.' 'I'm fine,' Shuichi turns away. 'I'm sorry for not waiting for you.' 'Suguru explained that you were upset, so it doesn't matter okay.' 'I'm fine.' 'What happened?' 'I'm fine. Look, are you going to come in?' Shuichi asks, pushing the door open. 'I'm going to stay in my apartment tonight. I need some time to think.' 'Think?' _"No, please stay with me Hiro."_ 'I just want to be alone,' Hiro says, pushing his hair back. 'Oh.' 'I'll see you later yeah?' 'Okay.' Shuichi closes the door and slumps down behind it. * 'Eiri-san.' 'Tohma, I'm not in the mood to deal with you, I've had a bad day.' Tohma stands in the doorway of Yuki's cluttered office. 'Deal with me Eiri-san? Am I chore?' Yuki grits his teeth and sets down the papers he had in his hands, old counselling files. His old counselling files. He slips his beaten glasses off his face and settles them onto the files, before looking at the ArchAngel. 'Not a chore. More like an annoyance.' Tohma's eyes narrow slightly. 'Keep in mind who you're talking too, Eiri-san.' 'I know exactly who I'm talking too, Tohma,' Yuki responds sharply, 'and quite frankly, I don't want to be talking to anyone. I've had a bad day. Please, just leave me alone.' Tohma ignores Yuki's request and enters the office further, perching on an old chair by a filing cabinet, opposite Yuki. Yuki glares at the blonde for a while, before picking up his fountain. He begins to etch words into the page. 'I came to make a proposal, Eiri-san.' Yuki continues to write. 'It's not like I haven't asked before though. I've asked many times, and you've always refused. I don't think you quite know the extent of my offer.' Yuki digs the pen into the page in annoyance. The weak, overused nib bends threateningly. Tohma continues to talk, not noticing Yuki's hostile posture; 'You would stay in absolute comfort. And you'd barely have to work. No more papers or files. No more filing cabinets filled with people's inane lives,' the ArchAngel raps his knuckles on the metal cabinet beside him, 'you understand yes? I want you to accept the position of my assistant. You can leave now, and they'll have filled your job within five minutes, Eiri-san. They don't need you for this. You're too good for this.' The nib of the fountain pen snaps and ink bursts onto the page. Yuki stands, knocking his chair back. 'No.' 'Eiri-san, I'm not leaving without you.' 'I'm fine here! I like it here,' Yuki snarls. 'You can't disobey me.' 'I don't care! DAMMIT TOHMA!' 'Eiri-san, I am superior to you. I am superior to any Angel other than the two Significants and God himself. Do not press on my temper.' 'I'm staying here.' 'You will come with me,' Tohma says, matter of factly. 'No.' 'You will, Eiri-san.' 'Get out of my office, Tohma.' 'Eiri-san.' Tohma's voice is filled with an underlaying anger, barely kept in check. 'If you won't leave, I'm leaving. I will not be coming with you.' 'So many others can do your job. It's not right for you. Come with me. I'm not accepting "no" as an answer. Realise, Eiri-san: You have no choice.' 'No!' Yuki strides to the door and pulls it open. 'I will not be codemned to serving you,' he proclaims and slams the door behind him. Tohma attempts to calm himself, staring at the closed door which Yuki has just vanished through. 'You have no choice, Eiri-san,' he says to no one, a malicious smile spreading across his face. * Yuki stares at the white door in front of him. His breathing is uneven and heavy, anger at Tohma still making his body shake. He looks around, feeling out of place in the long hallway. He's never stepped foot in the Residential Area of Second Hell before, never. The apartments are different from the one's he stayed in during his days in Hell. Never in all his time as a Counsellor or Leader has he bothered to know what the accomodation of the occupants was like. He observes the door and reaches out to open it, pausing, his hand hovering over the handle. _"What if it's locked?" _ He tries the door, pulling the handle down. The door clicks open with ease. He steps inside. He takes a look around. It's dark, but that's not suprising, and no one seems to be about. It's late. Yuki can barely make out the apartments features. He clicks on a light and takes a better look. It's nice. He silently approves. It has everything someone would need to live a basic life. The apartment is nothing like the Angel's. It's less fancy, less ornate. Yuki feels at home in the small apartment. More at home than he ever did in his. He passes the doorway to the kitchen and enters the living room. It's empty and bare. 'Shuichi must be asleep,' Yuki murmurs. He feels a pang of sadness in his chest. 'What am I doing here?' To his right is the doorway to a small bathroom. To his left the door is closed. The bedroom. He opens the door as quietly as possible. The room is small, painted white. There's a window with a blind hung over it above the bed. Yuki can make out Shuichi on the bed. He steps closer. Shuichi is sleeping fitfully, the sheets tangled around his legs. One hand is thrown up, half covering the pale and tearstaind face. Yuki watches the boy sleep. Shuichi shivers in his sleep and lets out a muffled sob, before turning onto his side. Yuki reaches out and brushes the pink hair back from the boy's face, before leaning in and laying a soft kiss on Shuichi's lips. Shuichi stirs but doesn't awaken. 'Shuichi,' Yuki attempts to coax the boy awake. 'Shuichi, please, wake up.' Shuichi's eyelids flicker slightly and his breathing pattern changes. He slowly opens his eyes. 'Hiro?' he asks sleepily. Yuki does a double take, but doesn't get angry. 'No.' Shuichi rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks at Yuki tiredly, his eyes squinting in the darkness to make the Angel out. 'Yuki?' he says, before shifting backwards quickly. 'Why are you here?' he asks, panicked. 'Shuichi, stay calm.' 'Did they find out? About us? Yuki...you shouldn't be here...' he pauses, 'I thought you'd hate me anyway.' Yuki tries to make sense of Shuichi's words, but decides he doesn't care. 'I don't hate you. Come here,' he grabs Shuichi wrist and draws him into a hug; 'I don't care what you said earlier. I didn't understand what the hell you were on about, so I'm ignoring it.' 'Yuki...' 'Shhh.' He kisses Shuichi, parting Shuichi's lips with his tongue and pressing against the boy. Shuichi moans softly. They untangle from each other. 'It's alright if I stay here tonight right?' Shuichi nods. 'Good, I had no intention of leaving.' 'Yuki; I love you,' Shuichi says, hugging the Angel from behind, 'I don't care if you're an Angel or not.' Yuki says nothing, but pulls Shuichi around into his lap and kisses him again. Shuichi presses against him, shifting so there's a leg either side of Yuki's thighs. He wraps his arms around Yuki's neck and rests them on the Angel's broad shoulders. Yuki weaves his hands under Shuichi's t-shirt, caressing the soft skin underneath. He tugs on the t-shirt, before pushing Shuichi back slightly and pulling the t-shirt over Shuichi's head and discarding it. 'Yuki?' 'I'm staying.' 'Eh?' Yuki doesn't respond and removes his own shirt, pulling Shuichi to him again, relishing in the feel of Shuichi's soft skin on his. Shuichi shivers as Yuki nibbles and lays kisses along his collar bone. 'You have to stop now, if you don't want this.' Shuichi buries his head on Yuki's shoulder and says nothing, trailing his fingers down Yuki's bare back. 'Shuichi?' 'I don't know what exactly you want to do, but don't stop.' Yuki tentatively kisses Shuichi's neck. 'Sure?' 'Sure.' Yuki pushes Shuichi off his lap and onto the bed. He kneels down on the matress, feeling it dip slightly beneath him. He leans over to kiss Shuichi. 'I love you too,' he murmurs against the pink haired boy's lips. He pushes Shuichi back onto the pillows. * Shuichi shifts against Yuki, trailing his fingers over the Angel's shoulders. He curls around his lover, sighing. He rests his head against Yuki's cool chest and smiles. 'Go to sleep,' Yuki says, brushing Shuichi's hair with his fingers. He's sitting up, resting against the headboard, happily letting Shuichi use him as a pillow, enjoying the feel of Shuichi's light fingers on his skin, circling lazily. 'Don't know if I can...' Shuichi murmurs, his voice drifting. Yuki looks down. Shuichi's eyes have drooped shut andhis hand's fallen to rest on Yuki's stomach. His lips are curled in a smile. Yuki smiles down at the boy, feeling content for the first time in a long time. He lifts Shuichi up and settles him on the pillows and leans over to kiss him. He freezes at the heavy sounds of footsteps outside. The bedroom door suddenly opens, so heavily it almost comes off its hinges. Yuki jumps and turns around, shielding Shuichi, who wakes up at the noise. 'Yuki?' He whispers, fear tinging his voice. 'Eiri-san.' Tohma stands, glowering, in the doorway. **To Be Continued...** **Footnotes:** Okay, so this chapter is...er...okay. Was gonna write an extra bit to Yuki and Shu's bed scene, I may still do, but I won't post it here XD *teasing* Sorry about the cliffhangar...oh wait, no I'm not. BWAHAHAHA! *falls over* More as soon as possible! 


	7. VI Numb

**Disclaimer:** LtBF's plot is mine. Hugs protectively Character's aren't though...puuu. They belong to Maki Murakami and SONY.   
**Notes & Warning:** Shounen-ai, a hint of malexmale sex, dark, depressive, attempted rape…and the list goes on. OMG is that a vague plot? Faints away NUUUUUU arises Yeah, I'm shocked too. Angst. Yessum. That much was obvious, ne? . I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've had a lot of personal stuff to deal with lately.   
****

**Chapter Six**   
  
Tohma is silhouetted in the doorway, but Yuki can see the look glinting in the ArchAngel's cerulean eyes. His shoulders are heaving, almost as though he's about to explode. Yuki shifts over in the bed, trying to block Shuichi from view as much as possible.  
'Tohma,' he says, evenly as possible.  
Tohma's eyes fix on Shuichi and he stalks to the bed. Yuki tries to push him away, but Tohma, who is surprisingly strong, batters him off without even trying.  
Long, delicate fingers root themselves deeply into Shuichi's pink hair and tug. The boy lets out a whimper in pain. Yuki moves forward and tries to dislodge Tohma's fingers from Shuichi's scalp.  
'Tohma! Let him go!'  
Tohma slaps his hands away and pulls Shuichi from the bed by his hair, lifting the boy up so his eyes meet Shuichi's deep violet ones.  
Yuki sits stunned, awed by the anger and strength of the ArchAngel. He's powerless.  
'How dare you lay a finger on Eiri-san?' Tohma asks, deathly quiet.  
Despite his situation, Shuichi's eyes widen in confusion and his gaze flickers to Yuki, before closing in realisation. 'Eiri,' he murmurs, smiling just slightly.  
This seems to add to Tohma's rage; 'Don't you dare look at him!' The blonde Angel screams, shaking Shuichi by his hair, digging his fingers in deeper.  
A small trail of blood, Yuki notices, drips down by Shuichi's ear. The boy winces in pain, his beautiful face scrunches up. He bites down on his lip to keep from crying out.  
'Tohma!' he pleads, 'Put him down! Just leave him alone and I'll do whatever you want!'  
'SHUT UP!'  
Yuki sits back on his hinds and stares dumbly at the scene before him.  
'Get dressed,' Tohma orders, eyes fixed upon Shuichi. 'Eiri-san.'  
Yuki hesitates.  
'Do it.'  
Yuki reaches over and begins to pull on his pants, followed by his dark purple shirt. He leaves it unbuttoned.  
'Tohma.'  
Tears are forming in Shuichi's eyes, Tohma's grip is pulling him up and so the boy's toes barely graze the floor.  
'Yuki, don't...'Shuichi begs.  
Yuki halts.  
'Shut up, you disgusting piece of filth,' Tohma says, spitting in his rage, 'you don't understand do you? You're nothing! Disgusting. Filth like you has no right to even look at Eiri-san! Don't look at him!'   
Shuichi's eyes scrunch shut. Tohma drops him to the floor as though he were a rag doll.  
'Get out,' He directs at Yuki.  
Yuki doesn't need to be told twice, although he finds it difficult to leave, pangs of guilt making him tremble as he watches Shuichi curl up and cower away, stoically avoiding eye contact.  
He wants to say something, but he can't.  
He can't do anything.  
He's useless.  
Once Yuki is out of the room, Tohma leans over to Shuichi, grabbing him and digging his nails into Shuichi's bare skin. One of his hands trail down Shuichi's left arm, grabbing hold of his wrist. Shuichi tries to pull away, but Tohma's grip threatens to draw blood.  
'You'll never see him again. You'll never touch him again,' he smiles, 'and he won't even care.'  
A silver cuff slowly forms around Shuichi's wrist, moulding itself tightly to the boy's arm. It looks like an I.D. bracelet.  
A word slowly begins to form on the silver plate on the cuff, deeply etched in endless black. _Abyss._ Tohma's grin grows slightly wider.  
'Enjoy eternity.'  
He kicks Shuichi in the ribs before leaving, causing the boy to curl into the foetal position. The room falls silent, apart from Shuichi's shivering sobs. In the distance he can hear Yuki's raised voice protesting, he hears his name and then that ArchAngel yells something.  
Then there's silence. Shuichi buries his head in his arms; the silver cuff digs into his cheek. He doesn't realise or care as he sobs silently to himself.  
The door creaks open, one of the hinges snaps with a loud ping. Shuichi jumps and presses himself to the wall, feeling the cool plaster on his naked back. Two figures, dressed completely in black, enter the room. Shuichi can't decipher their faces. They say nothing, towering above him. Shuichi can't tell whether their looking at him or not and he just wants to hide.  
One crouches and takes Shuichi's wrist. Shuichi cries out at the touch, it's white hot on his skin, and he imagines the heat melting his skin. It certainly feels hot enough. The searing fingers run over the cuff, almost as though they were reading the words. The figure lets go and red finger print burn marks, while faint, appear, marring Shuichi's skin. He whimpers as both figures reach for him, grasping an arm each just below the armpit. They haul him to his feet. Shuichi feels white-hot pain sear through his body. He falls unconscious.

.........................................................................................

Yuki stares in shock at his surroundings. The once familiar office feels alien. Tohma is moving in the corner of his vision, but Yuki barely cares what the ArchAngel is doing. His mind can't focus. He can't think. He feels Tohma's hands on his shoulders, pushing him up against the wall and pinning him there.  
Yuki doesn't register Tohma's hot lips on his neck, barely registers the ArchAngel's busy hands, moving down his body. Yuki stands rigidly against the wall, pinned there, gazing off into the distance. Tohma's hand reaches up, and cups his face, pulling Yuki's mouth to his as he divulges the Angel of his shirt.  
Yuki's eyes suddenly snap into focus, as Tohma's free hand slips below the waistband of his pants, caressing the skin hidden beneath them.  
Tohma presses his tongue into Yuki's mouth, just as Yuki begins to fight him off. The effect of Tohma pinning him to the wall seems to impose on him a lot more the more he tries to get free.   
Tohma's tongue probes into his mouth, trying to provoke some sort of reaction. Yuki's eyes narrow and he bites down, into Tohma's tongue.  
_"Good enough reaction, you sick bastard?"  
_Tohma jumps backward, freeing his hand.  
'Eiri-san!'  
Yuki swings his arm back and lands a punch right in Tohma's jaw, sending the ArchAngel reeling backwards into the desk. Tohma slumps against the wooden frame, clutching at his face.  
'Eiri-san,' he says weakly, almost sounding shocked.  
'What the fuck do you think you're doing?'  
Tohma's eyes narrow; 'You let filthy little vermin touch you. I was helping you get clean.'  
'Filthy? Vermin?' Yuki gapes at him. 'And cleaning? You're crazy.'  
'I'm not the one who let that vile thing touch him!'  
'Shut the hell up,' Yuki feels his rage course through him and he raises his fist again, swinging to land another punch.  
Tohma catches it deftly, gripping Yuki's fist almost crushing it. He twists Yuki's arm around before relinquishing his grip. Yuki stumbles slightly before glaring at Tohma.  
'Don't forget whom it is you're dealing with, Eiri-san.'  
'It's not EIRI!'  
Tohma sighs, relaxing, which furthers Yuki's rage.  
'Very well, **Yuki-san**.'  
Yuki freezes. He wants to say so much. Ask so much. 'How did you find us?'  
Tohma tilts his head slightly, looking at Yuki almost as though he were asking a stupid question. 'I always know where you are, Yuki-san.'  
Yuki shudders at the thought.  
'Whatever.'  
Tohma shrugs. 'Believe what you wish.'  
Yuki takes a deep breath; 'Where's Shuichi?'  
Tohma stands straight and narrows his eyes. 'It's none of your concern. You should focus your mind on other, more worthy subjects, Yuki-san.'  
'Where is Shuichi?'  
'You're never going to see him again,' the ArchAngel moves closer to Yuki, 'but you soon won't care about that.'  
He runs a finger across Yuki's bare stomach.  
Yuki tenses, but tries to ignore Tohma's advances. 'Where is Shuichi?' he asks, again.  
Tohma steps back, his eyes glinting. 'You insist upon asking, even though I said you'll never see him again. Oh, very well, Yuki-san, I'll humour you. Your little piece of trash is spending eternity in the Abyss. You know what that is, correct?'  
Yuki's heart misses a beat. His world crumbles.  
_Anything but the Abyss.  
_He nods, numbly.  
Tohma smiles slightly, that annoying smile, the one he uses as though he's talking to a child. 'So nothing else matters, Yuki-san. Because you're not going to be seeing him again, are you?'  
But Yuki's already running. Back to the apartment.  
He curses his slow legs, urging his body to move faster but it never moves fast enough. He reaches Shuichi's apartment and pulls the door open. He comes face to face with a wide-eyed young woman, who stares at him in fear. Her eyes are puffy from crying.  
Yuki panics, tries to reason it's the wrong apartment. He leaves and checks the number. It's right. Shuichi's gone.  
Yuki feels his knees go weak and fights against collapsing, knowing he'd never get up again. He slumps against the wall and drops his head so his chin rests on his chest. His body shakes.  
_"It's my fault! I could have stopped it...but...but I just left, like an obedient dog."_  
He slams his fist against the wall. 'There has to be some way to get him back.'  
Yuki pulls himself straight and heads back to his office, only to find it bare and emptied of his belongings.  
Tohma is nowhere to be seen.  
On the desk is a note. Yuki picks it up. It reads: _'Your job as my assistant begins tomorrow. Say your good byes, I will collect you later.  
-Tohma'_ Yuki screws up the note. 'Persistent little fucker,' he mutters, taking a look around the office. 'One day.'  
It was time to gain a partner in crime to help him with this one. 

.........................................................................................

Shuichi is barely aware of anything. Of time. Of space. He can't even figure out if his eyes are open.  
It's all white. Everything. White. Is there someone there?  
There's no way to know.  
Who is that?  
Maiko? Kaa-san?  
Shuichi stares blankly, the images before his eyes fading as soon as they come, sneering and scathing voices fill his mind, leaving no other thought.  
Shuichi's body is numb.  
_Imagine yourself devoid of senses, apart from the scorning voices inside your head. Everything bad, past and present allowed to eat away at you. You can't fight it off. There's nothing to see or feel. No human contact.  
The Abyss.  
Where you're left to rot._  
Shuichi's mind slowly slips from his grasp. 

.........................................................................................

The morning has barely started. In fact, Ryuichi and Tatsuha aren't even out of bed, leaving other Child Counselling Angel's to deal with the start of the day. Ryuichi's primary reaction to the loud knocking on their door is to hurl Kumagorou at it.   
The knocking, however, fails to cease despite the pink bunny attack. Grumbling, Ryuichi clambers over Tatsuha and falls from the bed.  
'Ryu...clothes...' Tatsuha mumbles, sleepily.  
Ryuichi blinks and rubs the sleep from his eyes. 'Oh.'  
The knocking continues.  
'ONE MOMENT!' he calls; bending down to pull on the boxers and t-shirt he had planned on sleeping in the night before.  
'Goddamit, Ryuichi, hurry up!' the source of the knocking yells through the door.  
Ryuichi fumbles with the locks, which click open, admitting the knocker.  
'YUKI!'  
Ryuichi grabs Kumagorou from the floor and hurls him in greeting to his friend.  
'Good morning.'  
Yuki wrinkles his nose at the state of the apartment. It's one bedroom, with a bathroom and a kitchen going off from either side. Paper work, of varying age, lays scattered on the floor.  
'Tatsuha, it's Yuki, wake up!' Ryuichi jabs at his lover, shaking him by the shoulders.  
Tatsuha opens a bleary eye and nods a greeting at the blonde. 'Turn around so I can get out of bed will you?'  
Yuki rolls his eyes, but turns his back, 'I really don't have time for this,' he says sternly, hearing the bathroom door click shut.  
'Take a seat,' Ryuichi offers, indicating to the bed.  
Yuki remains standing. 'I need your help,' he says after a pause.  
Ryuichi's face turns serious. 'What's the matter?' he clutches onto Kumagorou, like a lost child.  
'I need to get into the Abyss--'   
Ryuichi leaps from his seat and grabs Yuki's upper arms, not giving the blonde a chance to finish. 'You can't, you know you can't! Not the Abyss Yuki, don't, please. I can't help you.'  
Yuki places his hands on the shorter Angel's shoulders. 'I need to go there. And you're going to help me, because I know you'd help Shuichi.'  
'Eh?'  
Yuki sighs, feeling ill at ease. Asking for help does not suit him well. He shifts on his feet and looks Ryuichi in the eyes. 'He got...Tohma...it's a long story,' he says finally. 'I need to get him out of the Abyss.'  
'You don't get sent there for no good reason! Shuichi's a good kid, why would he get sent there?'  
'Tohma sent him there,' Yuki says simply, hoping Ryuichi would understand.  
Tatsuha chooses the moment to re-enter the room, fully dressed. 'So what's going on? I mean...it's gotta be important, it's not like you visit us often.'  
'I don't visit so I can avoid you.'  
Tatsuha raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, smirking. 'Whatever.' He looks at Ryuichi, 'What's the matter?'  
'Shuichi's in the Abyss. Tohma sent him there...oh.'  
'The Abyss?'  
'Yuki, were you and Shuichi er---'  
'The ABYSS?'  
Yuki rolls his eyes again. He itches with impatience, knowing this will take a long time. Time he can't waste.  
'Tatsuha, be quiet. Were you together?'  
'Yes, we were together---'  
'Mou…you choose now to listen to my advice no da.'  
'Ryuichi, we don't have time for smugness. I have a day before I have to go become Tohma's pet, and I need to get Shuichi out of that hell hole.'  
'Wait a sec, slow down. I don't know about Ryu, but I'm confused,' Tatsuha runs a hand through his dark hair, 'I don't see why we should help you without a full explanation. Especially if helping involves the Abyss.'  
Yuki takes a shaky, impatient breath. 'I have been…seeing Shuichi. Tohma caught us together and sent Shuichi to the Abyss, I need you to help me get into the Abyss to get him ou—'  
'It's impossible!' Tatsuha starts, only to be silenced by a glare from Yuki.  
'I'm going to rescue Shuichi,' he says with a certain determination, 'Even if I am going to end up as Tohma's pet today, I'm not leaving Shuichi there to rot. I have one day, are you helping me or not?'  
'Of course!' Ryuichi bounces on his feet, a cheeky grin lighting up his face, 'you know I love breaking rules!' 

.........................................................................................

It is a bright day, just as every other day is, Suguru notes in boredom. Hell was horribly monotonous, even if you grew used to it eventually. He looks over at Hiro sitting in Shuichi's usual place beside him. The red head is resting his face in his hands, whistling a tune idly. The tune takes a pause when he notices Suguru watching him. Hiro grins at the Angel and goes back to whistling, staring into the void above.  
Suguru, not for the first time in the day, looks around anxiously for any sign of Shuichi. A deep pain is settled within his chest, having been there since seeing Shuichi the previous day. A mixture of longing and guilt. Suguru frowns.  
'Do you think Shuichi is alright?' he asks. It's not the first time he's asked this, either.  
Suguru was being rather repetitive.  
Hiro looks at him again, his face marred with concern. 'He said he was fine last night, you know. I told you that already.'  
'Then why isn't he here?'  
Hiro shrugs, and stretches his arms behind him, leaning back. He looks at Suguru out of the corner of his eye. 'I don't know. Is there something you're not telling me?'  
'What do you mean?' Suguru says, his voice defensive.  
'Nothing.'  
Suguru narrows his eyes.  
Hiro edges away slightly and sighs. 'It's just you seem awfully worried over Shuichi, is all. You weren't the one to upset him, were you?'  
The green haired Angel bites his lip and looks away. 'I don't know.'  
'Don't know?'  
Brown eyes turn back to Hiro.  
'I don't know. Shuichi got upset by the truth,' the Angel says, almost bitterly, 'I couldn't help that.'  
Hiro raises an eyebrow, running a hand through his long hair. 'What were you two talking about that deserved a dose of upsetting truth?'  
'Shuichi can choose whether or not to tell you himself, can't he?'  
'What's that supposed to mean?'  
'Nothing!' Suguru snaps, 'Just leave it okay?'  
Hiro nods slowly, shocked by Suguru's outburst. 'You brought the subject up,' he mutters quietly, just so Suguru can't hear.  
Hiro thinks Suguru probably has a guilty conscience, but he's worried about Shuichi too.   
The boy had seemed frail and depressed the previous day, but Hiro had needed to be alone, it couldn't be helped. And then, when he had gone to see Shuichi when he awoke, the boy wasn't in his apartment. In fact, Hiro frowns; there had been a girl in the apartment.  
Hiro couldn't shift the feeling that something bad had happened.  
'I wonder if he's all right…' Suguru was muttering in a distracted manner.  
The door to the office building creaked open behind them, a stern female voice floated out.  
'I don't care, Yuki,' it was saying, 'and don't even think about throwing that damn doll at me, Ryuichi. You will not convince me into helping you.'  
Hiro blinks and looks around, Suguru follows his gaze. Ayaka has her back to them both, one hand placed firmly on her hip, the other rests on the old door's handle.  
Hiro doesn't recognise the men she's with, but Suguru seems to as he stands looking ready to bolt. Hiro stands too, looking questioningly at Suguru, who doesn't notice.  
Ayaka shoves the door open further and turns to walk away from the three men.  
'Ayaka, listen—'  
She stops when she notices Hiro and Suguru.  
'Can you two go away?' She asks gratingly.  
The people she was talking to step outside as well. Hiro still has no clue who they are or what's going on.  
Suguru ignores Ayaka, and addresses one of the men. A blonde.  
'You know where Shuichi is, don't you?' He says coldly. 'And whatever's happened to him is probably your fault.'  
'Suguru!' Ayaka says sharply, pushing him backwards. 'I said go away.'  
Suguru bats Ayaka off and stares hardly at the blonde, who looks back unperturbed – although, Hiro notes, his eyes that his eye's convey something other than calm.  
'I'm right, aren't I? He told me, you know. About you and him. And now whatever's happened to him is your fault,' the young Angel says snidely.  
'Suguru, notice who you're damn well talking too, fool!' Ayaka snaps.  
'I don't care!'  
'Excuse me,' Hiro says, 'but what in Hell is going on?'  
Suguru turns around to the red head, 'He-' he points at the blonde, '-is the reason Shuichi is no where to be seen today.'  
**'Suguru!'**  
A pink bunny comes flying and hits Suguru squarely in the side of the head.  
'Sorry, no da. But don't go around with accusations you can't back,' the shortest of the three men moves forward and retrieves the stuffed toy. 'You got Kumagorou all angry, nan no da!' He looks at Suguru, his face loosing the happy-go-lucky look and turning serious, 'Remember your place when speaking to a leader of Hell.'  
Suguru pouts, folding his arms across his chest. He opens his mouth to say more, but the brown haired man cuts across him.  
'Ne, ne…shouldn't we go somewhere else to discuss this?' He bobs the pink bunny's head as though it were talking. 'Ryu-chan thinks we should!'  
'Suguru---is it?' The blonde says slowly.  
Suguru clenches his fists, but nods in confirmation.  
'It is my fault.'  
Suguru lurches forward into the blonde, swinging to hit him and failing miserably as the blonde side steps the hit.   
'But are you angry with me because of that or because Shuichi chose me over you?' he whispers in Suguru's ear, before pushing him back.  
'Yuki…'  
'Ayaka, are you going to help us or not,' the blonde – Yuki, Hiro figures- turns to the Counselling Angel.  
'I won't.'  
'Ayaka-' the only man who hasn't spoken up starts. Hiro notes that he looks a lot like the blonde, actually, but dismisses it. Unimportant.  
What he really wants to know is what's going on.  
'Ayaka, just suggest something…we're not asking much.'  
'They'll know…' she says softly, before turning round fully to face the three. 'Yuki got himself into this mess. He shouldn't drag others into it! And it should be well left alone, if Tohma is involved. You know what he's like-'  
'I don't care.'  
'Yes, but you know. And Shuichi's better off there than where Tohma could really hurt him, besides. And I warned you both about your little… relationship. I told you. I told him. You fools,' her hands land firm on hips and she leans into Yuki. 'I won't have anything to do with it. I suggest you ask someone who actually knows more about the Abyss too.'  
She stalks off.  
The brown haired man pokes his tongue out at her after she's passed before going back to nibbling on his pink rabbit's ears, leaning into the other dark haired man.  
'What now, Yuki?'  
The blonde clenches his fists and heaves a sigh. 'I don't know,' he says bitterly.  
'The…Abyss?' Suguru suddenly cries, his shoulders shaking. His knees give out and Hiro moves forward and catches the Angel.  
Suguru's breath comes in heavy, hard pants and he pushes Hiro away. 'The Abyss?' he croaks, his voice verging on hysterical.  
Hiro pulls a confused look; no longer knowing what to do.  
'Suguru---'  
'THE ABYSS?' the angel screams, slamming his fists down onto the concrete.  
The three men look down at Hiro and Suguru.  
'Suguru, calm down,' Hiro urges, panic rising.  
Yuki's face loses its cold look. 'Yes, the Abyss.'  
Suguru shakes in Hiro's arms, out of anger and sadness. 'Is that where Shuichi is?'  
'Yes,' Ryuichi answers for the blonde. He pulls worriedly at the pink rabbits ears. Tatsuha envelopes him in a hug, soothing him.  
'Tohma sent him there.'  
'Tohma?' Hiro asks. 'Can someone tell me what's going on? Please?'  
Yuki looks at him. 'Don't concern yourself with this.'  
'Shuichi's my friend;' Hiro states, 'I'm concerned with this, whatever this is! I don't know what the fuck's going on, but I'll find out some way or other!'  
Yuki's golden eyes narrow into a glare, which Hiro meets firmly in defiance.  
_You don't scare me.  
_'What's the Abyss? Why is it bad that Shuichi's there?' Hiro breaks the silent standoff.  
'The Abyss is the ultimate punishment. Once you're put there you can't come out. It's torture…apparently. Not many people can really say much about it,' Suguru answers, surprising them all, 'because anyone whose been there and come back doesn't have a mind to say anything about it.'  
The green haired boy looks up; his face is tearstained. 'And Shuichi's wasting away there now,' he pulls himself to his feet and grabs Yuki's shirt, 'because he loved you!'  
Yuki pushes Suguru away. 'I don't have time for this; if you give a damn about Shuichi then stop bothering me!'  
'Yuki!' Ryuichi says, warningly, 'they're upset.'  
Hiro's face creases into a frown. 'So…basically…you can't rescue Shuichi?'  
'We'll find a way,' Yuki snaps.  
'Why did he get sent there? It doesn't make any sense!'  
Yuki freezes for a moment, a look of complete hurt and guilt on his face. 'What does it matter?' he turns on his heel and walks back into the counselling building.  
'Yuki, wait!' Ryuichi follows quickly, grabbing Tatsuha's hand and pulling him along. Hiro and Suguru stare after them for a moment, before the Angel bolts after them, Hiro quickly following.  
'You think you can just leave us behind?' Suguru demands, trying desperately to keep up the pace.  
The three higher Angels ignore him.  
'You can't just ignore us! We want to help!'  
'Suguru…' Hiro warns, his breath coming heavily as he tries to catch up.  
'Listen to me!' he slams his fist into a wall with surprising force.  
Hiro jumps and the Angels' stop.  
'What do you have to say?' Yuki asks, voice dangerous.  
Suguru glares right back. 'I don't care who you are; you're going to tell us everything and let us help. That's that.' 

**To be Continued…**

Footnotes: Kk, here's my rundown: This chapter was intended to be much longer, but I lost all my notes for it. So I figured (reading back over it) that I could leave this how it was and update; rather than not update for ages. I just have to do more notes now (joy). My apologies for the horrid 'filler' chapter. 


	8. VII Alliance

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership to the characters involved in this story. **Notes & Warning:** Shounen-ai, a hint of malexmale sex, dark, depressive, attempted rape…and the list goes on. I also wanna say; you may have to pay attention to Yuki's annex to understand a certain part of this chapter nod Fear my weak dialogue skills -.-_**Chapter Seven**_Tohma settles himself into the large leather chair and leans back, closing his eyes. He massages his temples softly for a second, before sitting forward; eyes open, and sorting through some paperwork, stacked in neat piles along the front of his elegant desk. He selects the pile furthest to his left and pulls out an old sheet of parchment, which is rolled up. He unravels it and picks up his quill, dips it in the blue inkbottle and scrawls Shuichi Shindou on to the parchment. He watches the ink seep into the parchment with a smug, satisfied smile on his face. Absently, he traces his quill tip over the larger writing at the top of the page; _Abyss._ He snaps out of his daze suddenly, due to a knock at his office door. He waits a second, knowing no one will enter without his call, rolls up the parchment and says softly 'Enter.' The heavy wooden door creeps open, stopping before it swings back into the wall and Ayaka enters. 'Ah, Ayaka.' She looks at him nervously. 'Come in. Close the door. Take a seat.' She follows his commands quickly, settling herself into a small hard chair sat before his desk. She avoids his eyes, fingering her skirt nervously along the pleats. 'So…' he starts. Ayaka shifts, perching on the edge of her seat stiffly. She continues to avoid his gaze, something Tohma is used to. 'I suppose I have to thank you for your help these past few hours.' The female Angel flinches slightly, her figure hunches forward in guilt. 'You, of course, were correct in your conduct and I'm thankful you informed me of such a relationship. The matter has been dealt with now, Ayaka, and I no longer need to be seeing you…unless, of course, you have something to say to me?' She hesitates, scrunching her skirt within her fists. She stays silent for a long time, before her words suddenly come rushing out. 'Why the Abyss?' she mutters quietly, 'why send him there? I asked you not to harm Shuichi and you did the complete opposite! The poor boy has been through enough and-' Tohma cuts her off with a glare, his eyes narrowing dangerously. 'The boy is of little concern or matter in this situation, Ayaka,' he says sharply. She hangs her head. 'The only thing that matters is Eiri-san doing the right thing. Worse could have happened.' 'But that's not what we're meant to do! We're meant to help them! Not throw them into the worst place imaginable! Tohma…please, let him out! PLEASE,' Ayaka looks him in the eye, her blue eyes full of pleading. 'That is not my concern, Ayaka.' 'It should be! You're an ArchAngel!' 'Goodbye, Ayaka.' She lets out a defeated puff of breath, glares at him and then hastily retreats, aware that there is nothing she can do. And it is her fault anyway. She slumps down in front of the office door after closing it and tucks her knees to her chest, feeling completely rotten..........................................................................................Suguru's persistent glare bores into Yuki, but he doesn't waver. 'Who are you to order me around?' 'Well, firstly, I'm Shuichi's friend, so I have every bit as much right to help with this. And secondly, I'm not the huge reason he's in the Abyss, am I? So, I think, you're not going to tell me what I can and can't do.' 'Ooooo,' Ryuichi breathes, 'he's got a temper just like Yuki!' Tatsuha smirks, 'How true.' Yuki casts a glare back at the two, before turning back to Suguru and Hiro. Hiro watches with baited breath, fearing for Suguru and unable to walk away from it all. 'Of course,' Yuki says. Suguru looks at him expectantly and the leader of second hell sighs. 'You're wasting valuable time. I can't be bothered to stop you following. Just remember the risk you impose on yourself doing this.' And with that, Yuki turns his back on Suguru and begins to walk away. 'Looks like you're coming then, huh?' Tatsuha says, nudging Ryuichi along towards the elevator Yuki has just entered. 'You better hurry up, though. You'll get left behind.' He rests his hands on his lover's shoulders and follows Yuki, guiding Ryuichi with him. Suguru's shoulders slouch slightly, as though he has not quite registered that he has won his argument. He blinks and turns to Hiro, who in response nudges him. 'Should go, or we'll lose them.' Suguru nods and Hiro takes his elbow, steering him down the corridor after the Angels. They follow them into the elevator at the back of the counselling building. 'So…' Ryuichi begins as the doors glide shut behind them. 'What are we going to do first?' Yuki remains silent, frowning at the button panel next to the doors as everyone looks at him expectantly. 'Yuki?' 'I'm thinking!' Suguru snorts. 'After all that you don't even have a pl-OW!' He stumbles backward when someone stomps down on his foot. Ryuichi glares at him pointedly, raising Kumagorou threateningly as well. 'Right, whatever,' Suguru mutters bitterly. Silence descends, with the exception of whirring mechanics of the elevator. 'So what are we gonna do?' Tatsuha asks tentatively, pulling Ryuichi to him, 'I mean, for one we don't even know where the Abyss is. Secondly, I doubt that, even if we did know it's whereabouts, we could just waltz in and take Shuichi.' 'You don't think I haven't thought of that?!' Yuki snaps, before he puts a hand to his mouth and bites into his index finger softly, thinking. 'No…I don't know what to do next.' 'Then maybe you really do need someone else's help!' Suguru starts. 'And you know what to do, do you?' Suguru opens and shuts his mouth. 'Well shut up then, quit mouthing off.' Hiro leans against the panels of the elevator and listens to the exchange, eyes closed. He frowns and bites his lip. 'Hey…' He opens his eyes to everyone looking at him. 'You have something to say?' Yuki growls. 'Well, I'm not going to say it's gonna help or anything,' Hiro stands up straight, 'but you asked Ayaka for help. Ever thought of going to someone else?' 'Un, un! Yuki! That would be a good idea, right?' Ryuichi chirps and pats Hiro on the back. 'Yeah, I mean, its not like Ayaka knows anything about the Abyss anyway,' Tatsuha agrees. The blond leader of second hell shakes his head. 'And risk getting found out? It's best to keep this between us, if Tohma…if he finds out then what do you think will happen?' He gives them a cold look. 'No. I don't think we should. 'Besides, Ayaka is the only one I would trust with this.' 'Hmm, and how do you know she can even be trusted?' Hiro questions, stepping forward towards Yuki as the elevator jerks to a halt. Yuki narrows his eyes. 'You're taking risks anyway, she could have been one. You may as well take more, right? Unless, Shuichi really doesn't mean anything to you.' 'You think he doesn't?' '…You'd be willing to risk it if he did.' The doors open with a sharp ping and the group tumble out. Yuki rounds on Hiro as soon as they are all out in the foyer of the Angels living quarters. 'Fine then. And who do you suggest we ask?' 'Well, Ayaka suggested it herself…' 'Who? Who?' Ryuichi pleads impatiently. Hiro rolls his eyes. 'Who?' Yuki demands. 'It's obvious,' the red head sighs, 'ask someone who's been there.'........................................................................................._In this place, Shuichi sees a tree. His sister is climbing, high up in the branches causing leaves to tumble down with her movements. He laughs as she struggles, still keeping a wary eye on his sister … In this place, the pink haired boy sits, slumped over his school desk as the boy sitting opposite him on top of the wooden desk kicks at Shuichi's desk, chair and… In this place he's locked away, in a dark room. It's not quiet. 'Come out you little fag!' BANG. He shudders and curls up, further into the darkness… In this place, the lights are bright and they hurt his eyes. _ He rubs them, as though trying to remove the remains of sleep. _Someone soft cradles him._ He wants more warmth, he turns into it, but it's no longer there. _'Hush, it's fine. My baby.'_ 'Kaa-san,' Shuichi croaks… _'My angel…'_ _In this place, the tiles are cool beneath him. He stares at the object in his hands. Its cruel blade flashes in the light as he examines it._ He claws at his wrists as wounds re-open, stinging. _The blood trickled slightly at first, only a superficial cut._ 'I want to die, I want to die.' _Again, it stings this time._ Shuichi screams. _Again, again, again._ His head flops forward and hot tears spill down his cheeks. … 'Yuki…'.........................................................................................'Someone who's been there?' Tatsuha is the first to speak after Hiro's declaration. 'Easier said than done.' 'It can't be that hard!' Hiro says. Ryuichi shakes his head. 'It is. I don't know a lot about the Abyss, and I've been in Hell forever! Before you had all the fancy levels and stuff.' 'I don't know anyone who's been there,' Yuki adds. 'Well that blows that plan out of the water.' 'Heh heh!' Ryuichi raises Kumagorou, 'I agreed that it was difficult, you silly heads, but I didn't say it was impossible.' 'What do you mean Ryuichi? No stupid games, either.' 'Hmm, Yuki is impatient, no da. Kumagorou wants you to say sorry now.' 'Ryuichi, Shuichi's not got much time. And neither do I, remember?' Ryuichi pouts. 'Oh, just tell us!' Suguru snaps. 'I don't like you much,' Ryuichi responds with narrowed eyes. 'Anyway. It's not impossible, just difficult to find ex-Abyss people thingies.' 'And?' 'Ah, patience! Yuki, you should be patient. Me and Kumagorou are thinking.' Yuki rolls his eyes and lets out a long sigh, folding his arms to prevent himself from grabbing his friend. 'Come on, Ryu,' Tatsuha nuzzles Ryuichi's neck, 'you and Kumagorou should think quick.' 'Aaah, it's tough. I haven't seen these people in ages…' 'Ryuichi,' Yuki says tersely. His eyes narrow in warning. 'Yes! Right! Kumagorou remembers!' 'And?' Hiro asks. 'Two people.' 'Ryuichi!' 'Ah, sorry sorry. Heh. Um,' the child-like Angel taps his chin, 'I know these two, and they've definitely been to the Abyss. I saw Tohma's list no da! I don't know who'll be easier to find, but…Vay Ksu or Taki Aizawa!' Hiro gulps. 'Vay's my counselling Angel!' 'Mmm, mmm,' Ryuichi nods, 'it's unusual for people to stick around and become Angel's after being in the Abyss, apparently. But…some do.' 'What did she do?' 'Who cares?' 'I do! She's…so…fucked up.' Yuki glares. 'Aren't most of us?' 'So…' 'Who should we go see, Ryuichi?' the leader of second hell asks. 'Well, Vay is in Second Hell, but nasty Tohma could be there stalking you! Aizawa is erm…oh, Kumagorou, can you remember?' The bunny's head nods and Ryuichi's face turns deadly serious. 'Aizawa works in fourth, Kumagorou says.' 'Fourth? Are you sure?' 'Yuki, Kumagorou is never wrong.' 'Well, lets go to fourth then!' Suguru claps his hands. 'That, like finding the Abyss or someone who's been there, is easier said than done, boy,' Yuki mutters. 'The leader of fourth requires to be notified of all Angel's who visit his "domain". And the leader of fourth is the biggest bastard you'll ever meet, next to Tohma.' 'Yuki…' Ryuichi bites his lip, 'Tatsuha and me can go find Taki and bring him here. That way you don't have to go!' 'No, it doesn't matter,' Yuki sighs and tilts his head back; 'there's no reason to hide from him.' 'But Yuki…' 'Besides, even if we do see him, he hates Tohma so he won't even think of saying anything.' 'But…' 'Hurry up then.' Yuki strides off. Ryuichi hurries after Yuki, still trying to convince him not to go to fourth. Tatsuha frowns. 'I guess neither of you know what that's about, so I won't bother asking.' Suguru and Hiro both look at him in utter confusion..........................................................................................Fourth Hell is the place where those who have taken another persons life end up. It is the closest place to the Abyss in the way you are treated, with the difference that no level of hell can destroy you completely. The small group enter the fourth hell counselling area, nothing like the building in second hell. Rows of small, dark doors line the corridors, with tiny barred windows near the top. Fourth Hell is a prison for souls. They reach the end of the corridor directly from the elevator and meet a rather worn looking Angel sitting at a makeshift reception desk reading a dog-eared paperback. He looks up, his glasses smeared and askew. 'What?' he asks, in a rough voice, folding over the corner of a page in his book. 'Well,' Ryuichi grins, 'we're here for a chirpy cheerful visit.' The Angel looks at him amazed. 'You're fuckin' crazy.' He shoves a clipboard with an empty form on it across the desk and slaps a quill down on top of it. After a few minutes of rummaging under the desk, he removes an inkwell of green ink and uncaps it. 'Sign in.' He picks up his book, unfolds the page's corner and goes back to reading. Each of them sign in and within seconds, the green ink on the page glows and turns jet black as though burnt into the page. 'Ah, excuse me, mister?' Ryuichi speaks up again. 'Where could we find Taki Aizawa?' 'Huh? Why would you wanna see that guy? You really are all crazy if ya do.' 'Just tell us where he is,' Yuki snarls. 'Second floor. White door. Fifth corridor. And you'll know. It's the only white door there.' Taki's office was very easy to find, the Angel at the desk was right. With all the dull black prison doors, the door to the Angel's office stood out a mile in a sea of metal. Yuki knocks at the door and goes to open it without awaiting a response. 'Ah, Yuki, just remember to be nice. Taki isn't a very agreeable guy.' 'I don't care, he just better tell me what I want to know,' and Yuki pushes the door open, entering with Ryuichi while the others stand awkwardly at the door. Taki is asleep at his desk, curled up in a ball on his desk chair and snivelling in his sleep, as though in a nightmare. His dark hair shadows his eyes. 'Oi,' Yuki says, his voice slightly raised. 'You shouldn't be sleeping when you're meant to be working.' Taki doesn't stir. Yuki leans over the desk and shakes him, but the counselling Angel doesn't wake. 'I'll get him up!' Ryuichi volunteers, 'Kumagorou beam!' The pink bunny hurtles through the air and smacks Taki square in the face with surprising force. The Angel shoots awake and grips onto the arms of his chair in shock. 'What the hell?' Yuki bends down and picks up Kumagorou to hand back to Ryuichi. 'Huh. Do you keep bricks in that toy or something.' 'Or something,' Ryuichi happily accepts the bunny. 'Who are you?' Taki demands. 'What are you doing here?' 'We're here to ask you a few questions,' Yuki says. 'Cheh, and if I don't answer them, you're gonna what?' 'I'll make you answer them.' Taki narrows his eyes. 'Right. Well, ask me what you want to ask and I'll decide whether you'll be making me answer or not.' He leans back in his chair with a challenging look. 'Obnoxious little bastard, aren't you?' 'Yuki…' 'Whatever. I'm going to ask you about the Abyss.' Taki becomes alert, eyes wide and body rigid. 'I don't know anything about that place,' he exclaims quickly. 'Oh, you don't? But haven't you been there?' 'No. Fuck no. What are you on?' 'Don't lie to me.' 'Taki, we only want to ask you about it. We're not going to send you there or anything.' 'I don't care, I've never been to the Abyss, so…you can leave,' he stands and walks round his desk. Yuki grabs him by the wrist. '**Don't** lie to me.' Taki jerks away. 'Why are you asking me? I don't know! That place is fucked up!' He cries, 'I don't want to talk about it so just get lost.' 'Taki! We need to help someone get out of there!' Ryuichi attempts, trying to calm the dark haired Angel down. 'What are you crazy? You can't get anyone out of that place!' 'So you don know about it.' 'Of course I do! I spent fuck knows how long in that hole!' 'Then you can answer my questions,' Yuki grabs Taki by the shoulders. Taki tries to get free from Yuki's grip a second time and cringes in fear as he fails. He whimpers slightly. 'What do you want to know?'.........................................................................................'The Abyss,' Taki begins after settling down, 'is a place that the ruler Angels use for ultimate control. It's all documented in the main library.' 'Never bothered to look,' Yuki states. Ryuichi, Tatsuha and Suguru nod in agreement with this. Hiro leans against the doorframe in silence. 'Well I did, and that's what it's for. Shut up, ok, or I'll just go back to sleep and you can forget trying to save your friend. 'Depending on what they want from you, the Abyss can either completely destroy a soul or make it a "blank" again, so that the personality of it can be remoulded. Guess it depends how "bad" you've been.' 'And?' 'From what I can remember, the only way out is to be released by who or what put you there.' Yuki snorts. 'That'll never happen. There must be some other way.' 'It's not documented!' 'Doesn't mean it's never happened. Who documents these things, do you think?' 'Well…er…don't you have someone to save, stop being bothered with stupid things!' 'Then tell me the last thing I need to know.' 'In the elevator, there's a small panel below the rows of buttons. It's not brass, it's silver so you'll spot it if you're looking for it. I remember when I came back from there. Remove it and press the engraved button with the A on it, I wouldn't touch anything else because I don't know what will happen. 'And some warnings, because I'm feeling nice. Don't take the red head; mere souls will perish as soon as they get near the Abyss if they're not meant to be there. I guess that might be a bit of a waste, don't you think?' Yuki nods. 'Right.' 'It doesn't matter anyway. No matter what you do, you won't get past the guards.' 'Thank you Taki,' Ryuichi says. 'You've been very helpful, no da.' 'Just get out and don't come back again.' They leave the small office and Taki slams the door behind them. Yuki turns on them. 'Take the kid back to second, Ryuichi. And take the other one with you too. You and Tatsuha both go, I'll go to the Abyss myself.' 'Yuki!' 'You can't just go off by yourself on this!' Suguru snaps. 'I can and I will.' 'Someone should go with you,' Tatsuha points out. 'It's impossible.' 'It isn't. I have to get Shuichi out of there. Ryuichi, just do it.' 'Ah, I will.' 'You go first; I'll wait for the elevator to come back and then go. Don't argue with me and don't try to change my mind.' 'I wasn't going to,' Ryuichi chews on Kumagorou's ear nervously, 'but…but are you going to be ok?' 'I don't care.' They arrive at the elevator, passing the Angel at the desk who is now playing hangman by himself. He looks up briefly as they go by, a look of boredom etched into his features. 'Go then.' 'Good luck Yuki!' Ryuichi latches onto the blond quickly, before he falls back and tugs Hiro into the elevator. Tatsuha nods at Yuki and follows his lover. Suguru stands fast. Yuki glares at him. 'Go.' 'No. I'm going with you and you can't stop me, you shouldn't keep telling me what to do. I want Shuichi out of there as much as you do!' Yuki grinds his teeth. 'Fine. Whatever. You're wasting time. Ryuichi, go. I'll …bye.' The elevator doors glide shut on them..........................................................................................'Ooo, I hope Yuki will be okay! And …I guess the Suguru kid too…' Ryuichi tugs on Kumagorou's arms. With a ping they arrive in second hell. 'Ah, Ryuichi-san, I've been looking for you.' 'T-Tohma…' 'Someone told me you were with Eiri-san,' the ArchAngel smiles blandly. 'He doesn't like that name Tohma.' 'Well, he's not with you to complain is he?' Tohma doesn't drop the politeness. 'Obviously not, no da! So I guess-' Tohma narrows his eyes, his smile morphing into a serious frown. 'Where is Eiri-san?'.........................................................................................'You're too slow.' 'My legs aren't as long as yours!' 'You're holding me up.' 'Well I'm sorry!' Suguru attempts to pick up his pace to keep up with Yuki's strides. They're following a long, narrow corridor. It winds off into what seems to be forever. Suguru looks for any sign that they're anywhere near their destination, but all he sees is peeling brown paint on wooden panels. He sighs and picks up his pace again, having fallen behind Yuki. He bumps into the blond and stumbles backward. 'We're here.' Suguru looks up to a wide, glowing white area, a strong contrast to the brown coloured corridor. He blinks. Two black figures flank a black double door in the centre. The Guards. The entrance. 'What do we do?' Yuki looks at him. 'I'm going in. You're waiting here.' 'But-' 'Shut up and do what I say. I'm your superior, so just listen to me!' Suguru nods obediently. 'Stay here.' Yuki steps into the white area and takes measured steps forward. The guards "look" up at him upon his approach and their bodies turn to each other. Suguru watches as Yuki says something to him, unable to hear although the Leader of Second Hell is only a few feet away. One guard nods slightly, and steps aside. One side of the doors open as it moves, as though they were connected. Yuki steps forward without looking back. And vanishes into the Abyss, the door closing solidly behind him.**To Be Continued…Footnotes:** Took a while for this chapter to get done and it's short, so forgive me! Maybe the next one won't take so long? Bah, back to something more light hearted for the while =] 


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